Fair Labor Association Structure and Activities

Handbook of Transnational Governance Innovation, edited by David Held and Thomas Hale, Polity Press, Cambridge (2011): pp.243-251

5 Pages Posted: 6 Dec 2016

Date Written: January 1, 2011

Abstract

The Fair Labor Association (FLA) is a US-based voluntary governance arrangement in which a number of high profile apparel and sportswear companies work together with universities and NGOs to promote compliance with core international labour standards within their supply chains. Since its establishment in the late 1990s, the Association has attracted significant attention and debate. Advocates of the Association regard it as a leader in developing innovative approaches to promoting compliance with international labour standards, pointing to its progress toward building independent auditing and complaints processes, and its efforts in recent years to strengthen the capacity building dimensions of its compliance program. In contrast, critics question both the Association’s accountability and its effectiveness, highlighting what they perceive to be its corporate-dominated governance structure, and its ongoing failure to achieve compliance with international labour standards within the supply chains of many FLA members.

Keywords: international development, human rights, NGOs, governance, global governance

Suggested Citation

Macdonald, Kate, Fair Labor Association Structure and Activities (January 1, 2011). Handbook of Transnational Governance Innovation, edited by David Held and Thomas Hale, Polity Press, Cambridge (2011): pp.243-251, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2879263

Kate Macdonald (Contact Author)

University of Melbourne ( email )

185 Pelham Street
Carlton, Victoria 3053
Australia

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