Labour, Global Commodity Chains and the Role of Institutions

This article will consider the global commodity chain perspective for analyzing international industries from the workers’ point of view. A comparison is made between commodity chains in the clothing and automobile industries which span across various countries. This enables an assessment as to the usefulness of the commodity chain approach in terms of being informing development strategy. The role of institutions in securing workers outcomes within commodity chains is also analysed. It is argued that the experience of global commodity chains is determined by political power and the extent to which institutions playing an active role in promoting either national interests, labour interests or both.