Promoting sustainable compliance: Styles of labour inspection and compliance outcomes in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract. Can workers’ rights and social protections be reconciled with firms’ competitiveness and productivity? In contrast to current development policy advice, which emphasizes the “flexibilization” of labour laws, this article contributes to an ongoing debate about styles of inspection by exploring the causal links between different regulatory practices and economic development and compliance outcomes. Findings from subnational comparisons in Brazil challenge established theories about the behaviours of firms and regulatory agencies, and indicate that labour inspectors have been able to promote sustainable compliance (legal and technical solutions linking up workers' rights with firms’ performance) by combining punitive and pedagogical inspection practices.

Social upgrading in developing country industrial clusters: A reflection on the literature

“…A rich and increasingly extensive analytical and empirical literature on regulatory renaissance in the context of labour standards and their enforcement in particular industries and clusters in the developing world suggest that government regulations and public inspections in combination with private codes of conduct may under certain conditions be more effective in facilitating social upgrading processes in local industries (Amengual 2010;Bartley 2007;Coslovsky 2014;Levy-Faur, 2010;Locke 2013;Pires, 2008;Piore and Schrank, 2008;Posthuma and Bignami, 2014). Moreover, findings from this literature suggest that combining the enforcement of labour standards with the offer of technical assistance to help enterprises comply with regulations in a manner conducive to long-term competitiveness could be particularly relevant in the context of small enterprises in clusters, where the opportunities for economic upgrading and challenges related to social upgrading are particularly apparent (Pires, 2008).…”

Eco-innovation in the Brazilian sugar-ethanol industry: a case study

“…Due to the growing need to increase agricultural and industrial productivity, the companies need to develop and implement technologies to enhance the reutilization of waste, to reduce water, energy and material consumption, to reduce CO 2 emission and, at the same time, to preserve the biodiversity surrounding the facilities and cultivated areas, as well as to ensure safe, healthy working conditions (Pires, 2008;Cirani et al 2010;Santos et al 2010;Leopold, 2010;Chandel et al 2010;Gomiero et al 2010;Spetic et al 2012). Figure 3 shows the emerging issues related to the sugar-ethanol industry, highlighted in a research proposed by (Spetic et al 2012), which corroborate the remarks already mentioned.…”

Brazil's 'pro-poor' strategies: what South Africa could learn

“…While there is certainly variation in the inspectorate's effectiveness, Roberto Pires (2008) suggests that labour violations are taken far more seriously in all industries than they once were: employers who violate labour laws may still be able to evade sanctions, but there is at least some sense, now, that government inspectors might seek to protect citizens at work.…”