Contents
Chapter1. An Industry Full of Contradictions
Chapter2. A Theory of Domestic Coalitions in the Garment Industry
Chapter3. The MFA and Access to Global Markets
Chapter4. Influencing in the Domestic Coalition
Chapter5. Communication in the Domestic Coalition
Chapter6. Inclusiveness in the Domestic Coalition
Chapter7. Labor Rights, Human and the International Trading Regime
Chapter8. Conclusion
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure1.Industrial upgrading by Asian economies in the apparel value chain
Figure2.Growth rate of apparel imports into the United States from selected Asian suppliers percentage change 2005 over 2004 annual imports
Figure3.Eco-friendly factory in Sri Lanka with solar panels
Figure4.Fire-safety equipment in a Bangladeshi garment factory
Figure5.Srages of development into a network in the domestic coalitions approach
Figure6.Selected apparel imports from the fifteen top importers to the United States (in millions of US dollars)
Figure7.Garments without Guilt banner in front of the Brandix office in Sri Lanka
Figure8.Garments-sector workers in Bangladesh on the frequency of dialogue with management
Figure9. Mechanism in factories in Bangladesh for dialogue with the owner
Figure10.Most efficient mechanisms for workers to influence changes in Sri Lanka (percentage of workers who responded)
Figure11.Chittagong Port reform in Bangladesh Core and periphery
Figure12.Wage increase in Bangladesh Core and periphery
Figure13.GSP revocation in Sira Lanka Core and periphery
Figure14.Cambodian garment-sector workers in training (Phnom Penh area)
Figure15.Teaching groups of garment-sector workers in Cambodia
Figure16.Factory-efficiency training in Cambodia
Figure17.Tariffs charged by the United States on apparel imports(2006)
Figure18. Tariffs versus aid in Bangladesh
LIST OF TABTES
Table1.Apparel export dependence of select countries (2008)
Table2.Export value and labor rates of selected Asian countries(2008)
Table3.Export value markets and employment(2008)
Table4.Garment exports from selected Asian countries to the United States and the European Union
Table5.Change in unit price of textile and apparel and apparel imports to the United States
Table6 Government support to the textiles and clothing sector in South Asia
Table7. Summary of capabilities with country examples
Table8. United States textile and clothing quotas(2002-2002)
Table9. Voluntary export restraints on textiles and garments
Table10. Predictions versus reality Effects of the MFA phaseout on selected countries
Table11.Numbers of factories and employees in the Bangladesh garment industry industry (1983/84-2010/11)
Table12.Cambodia's factories employment and exports (1995-2003)
Table13.Description of the four paths of internationalization and examples of international forces
Table14.Questions to workers in Bangladesh about regular interactions between stakeholders
Table15.Mechanisms for dialogue in Bangladesh
Table16.Stakeholders working to make change for the industry in Sri Lanka (percentage of workers who agreed that group was a key stakeholder)
Table17.Mechanisms for dialogue in Sri Lanka
Table18.Key stakeholders and influence in Sri Lanka's garment sector
Table19Mechanisms for dialogue in Cambodia
Table20.Benefits available in Bangladeshi garment factories
Table21.The US tariff system with twenty selected countries(2009)

Table

The general perception of the garment and textile industry in the global South is fueled only by images of dismal labor conditions and unsuitable factories, descriptions of labor clashes with police, and analyses of low wages and exploitative multinational corporations. This book presents an insightful perspective on the garment and textiles industries in Asia by highlighting that an industry fraught with competing concerns can, in fact, collaborate and work together when it is in the interest of both the state and interest groups to do so. This comparative study recognizes the role of both the state and interest groups in the policy making process and argues that they are interlinked and require one another for sustainable reforms. Employing original, in-depth research in three different countries, the study skillfully delves down deep beyond the macro statistics and commonly held images to cast light on some of the significant policy and attitudinal shifts that have occurred in this industry. It demonstrates that even though the struggle continues, it is important to recognize the improvements thus far and to work towards positive change. This book also takes a much larger historical view of the sector, arguing that manipulation of the trading regime has created and continues to create both incentives and disincentives for the various stakeholders involved in this industry. This book is is essential for students and researchers in policy studies, labor studies, South and Southeast Asian studies, international trade, and political science, as well as those engaged in program design and evaluation of projects focused on labor rights. This study is also critical for non-governmental organizations with a thematic focus on the garments and textiles industry, labor rights, human rights, and international trade policy, as well as for private sector organizations focused on improving labor conditions around the world. More information