Fairer Trade in Global Value Chains: Does it Work?
Fairer and ethical trade initiatives have proliferated in Europe and North America. Some question whether they really benefit millions of wage workers and small-scale producers (especially women) producing for retail global value chains (GVC) in lower-income countries? This Fellowship updates 25 years of research to produce a ‘gold open access’ book on the evolution and contemporary challenges facing fairer trade. It critically examines: diverse voluntary approaches to fairer trade (codes of labour practice and labels); are they sufficiently robust to withstand commercial GVC pressures; and whether greater legislative oversight could enhance outcomes for small-scale producers and workers in GVCs?