Reorganized Moralism: The Politics of Transnational Labor Codes

Ngai PUN

Reorganized Moralism: The Politics of Transnational Labor Codes

Ngai PUN

Research output: Book Chapters | Papers in Conference Proceedings › Book Chapter › Research › peer-review

Abstract

The period since the mid-1990s has witnessed a surge in the practice of introducing transnational corporate codes of conduct, labor standards, and labor rights in China. In tandem with the role of the Chinese state in regulating labor conditions and enforcing national labor laws, transnational corporations (TNCs), often big brand-name American and European retailers, have increasingly advocated corporate codes of practice for their Chinese production contractors and subcontractors. This gives rise to a series of puzzles about postsocialist Chinese labor politics: Why has transnational capital taken the initiative in protecting Chinese labor? What is the role of global capital vis-à-vis the Chinese state in regulating labor relations in a period of rapid labor reform? How are these novel practices of corporate codes shaping the changing Chinese factory regimes into a form that is truly global? What will be the possible effects on workers’ power and politics in the face of these globalized factory regimes?

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Privatizing China: Socialism from Afar
Editors	Li ZHANG, Aihwa ONG
Publisher	Cornell University Press
Chapter	5
Pages	87-102
Number of pages	16
ISBN (Electronic)	9780801461927
Publication status	Published - 2008
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

I am grateful to Anita Chan and John Unger for reading the earlier version of this chapter. An earlier, shorter version of this article was published in China Journal (July 2005). The field studies were financially supported in part by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council for a research project titled “Living with Global Capitalism: Labor Control and Resistance through the Dormitory Labor System in China” (2003–2005).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities

Access to Document

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt7zjpj.9

1 Journal Article (refereed)

Global production, company codes of conduct, and labor conditions in China : a case study of two factories
PUN, N., Jul 2005, In: China Journal. 54, p. 101-113 13 p.
Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

98 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)

Cite this

@inbook{d4f354d1dcdb405ebab0af6e34352567,

title = "Reorganized Moralism: The Politics of Transnational Labor Codes",

abstract = "The period since the mid-1990s has witnessed a surge in the practice of introducing transnational corporate codes of conduct, labor standards, and labor rights in China. In tandem with the role of the Chinese state in regulating labor conditions and enforcing national labor laws, transnational corporations (TNCs), often big brand-name American and European retailers, have increasingly advocated corporate codes of practice for their Chinese production contractors and subcontractors. This gives rise to a series of puzzles about postsocialist Chinese labor politics: Why has transnational capital taken the initiative in protecting Chinese labor? What is the role of global capital vis-{\`a}-vis the Chinese state in regulating labor relations in a period of rapid labor reform? How are these novel practices of corporate codes shaping the changing Chinese factory regimes into a form that is truly global? What will be the possible effects on workers{\textquoteright} power and politics in the face of these globalized factory regimes?",

author = "Ngai PUN",

note = "I am grateful to Anita Chan and John Unger for reading the earlier version of this chapter. An earlier, shorter version of this article was published in China Journal (July 2005). The field studies were financially supported in part by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council for a research project titled “Living with Global Capitalism: Labor Control and Resistance through the Dormitory Labor System in China” (2003–2005).",

year = "2008",

language = "English",

pages = "87--102",

editor = "Li ZHANG and Aihwa ONG",

booktitle = "Privatizing China: Socialism from Afar",

publisher = "Cornell University Press",

}

TY - CHAP

T1 - Reorganized Moralism: The Politics of Transnational Labor Codes

AU - PUN, Ngai

N1 - I am grateful to Anita Chan and John Unger for reading the earlier version of this chapter. An earlier, shorter version of this article was published in China Journal (July 2005). The field studies were financially supported in part by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council for a research project titled “Living with Global Capitalism: Labor Control and Resistance through the Dormitory Labor System in China” (2003–2005).

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - The period since the mid-1990s has witnessed a surge in the practice of introducing transnational corporate codes of conduct, labor standards, and labor rights in China. In tandem with the role of the Chinese state in regulating labor conditions and enforcing national labor laws, transnational corporations (TNCs), often big brand-name American and European retailers, have increasingly advocated corporate codes of practice for their Chinese production contractors and subcontractors. This gives rise to a series of puzzles about postsocialist Chinese labor politics: Why has transnational capital taken the initiative in protecting Chinese labor? What is the role of global capital vis-à-vis the Chinese state in regulating labor relations in a period of rapid labor reform? How are these novel practices of corporate codes shaping the changing Chinese factory regimes into a form that is truly global? What will be the possible effects on workers’ power and politics in the face of these globalized factory regimes?

AB - The period since the mid-1990s has witnessed a surge in the practice of introducing transnational corporate codes of conduct, labor standards, and labor rights in China. In tandem with the role of the Chinese state in regulating labor conditions and enforcing national labor laws, transnational corporations (TNCs), often big brand-name American and European retailers, have increasingly advocated corporate codes of practice for their Chinese production contractors and subcontractors. This gives rise to a series of puzzles about postsocialist Chinese labor politics: Why has transnational capital taken the initiative in protecting Chinese labor? What is the role of global capital vis-à-vis the Chinese state in regulating labor relations in a period of rapid labor reform? How are these novel practices of corporate codes shaping the changing Chinese factory regimes into a form that is truly global? What will be the possible effects on workers’ power and politics in the face of these globalized factory regimes?

M3 - Book Chapter

SP - 87

EP - 102

BT - Privatizing China: Socialism from Afar

A2 - ZHANG, Li

A2 - ONG, Aihwa

PB - Cornell University Press

ER -

Reorganized Moralism: The Politics of Transnational Labor Codes

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Research output

Global production, company codes of conduct, and labor conditions in China : a case study of two factories

Cite this