International Labor Standards in U.S. Development and Foreign Policy

Abstract

Labor rights and standards have long played a part in U.S. development, diplomacy, and foreign policy objectives to varying degrees and in varying ways. The premise of this paper is that, under circumstances determined through proper analysis with appropriate tools and processes, the promotion of international labor standards (ILS) and well-functioning labor relations systems could play a substantially more important role. This paper focuses primarily on the role of ILS in international development, with its supporting relationship with diplomacy and foreign policy objectives. I suggest an approach for determining how the promotion of ILS can best achieve development objectives and identify some areas to be tested.