Don't Blame Trade Liberalization for Labor Market Chaos Activists blame trade liberalization policies in developing countries for a variety of problems they argue slow growth and lead to tectonic shifts in labor sectors. Romain Wacziarg found very little change in the structure of labor sectors within five years of liberalization. (May 2002)

Are Global Labor Standards Good for Business? Economists, politicians, and activists have long debated whether countries that do not adopt international labor standards gain an advantage in trade and investment at the expense of those who do. Robert Flanagan recently tested the arguments through a comparative study of about 100 countries at various stages of development from 1980 to 1999. (May 2002)

An International Perspective on Labor In a broad paper examining the economic impact of collective bargaining around the world, GSB labor economist Robert Flanagan explains why the kind of bargaining structure a country has is less important than it used to be. (July 1999)