DEVIANCY AND GLOBAL LABOR PRACTICES by

Disputes concerning global labor practices are at the core of contemporary debates regarding globalization. Critics seek regulations restricting the use of sweatshop labor. Economists retort that such regulations will harm the world’s poor. However, insufficient attention has been paid to those companies that are “positive deviants” with respect to their global labor practices. In this essay, we outline the conventional case for sweatshop conditions, as well as arguments for the mandated improvement of those conditions. Next, we provide a normative defense of the basic human rights that ought to be respected by employers. After explaining the concept of positive deviancy and applying it to global labor practices, we use recent empirical field studies of MNC factories in developing nations as a basis for arguing that MNCs are capable of voluntarily respecting the basic rights of workers while remaining economically competitive. Denis G. Arnold Assistant Professor Philosophy Department University of Tennessee 801 McClung Tower Knoxville, TN 37996 Telephone: (865) 974-7219 FAX: (865) 974-3509 Email: [email protected] Laura P. Hartman Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs Professor of Business Ethics DePaul University 1 E. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604 Telephone: (312) 362-6569 Email: [email protected]