Advancing Social Justice At Home: Can We Shape Social Policies that Make the Dynamics of the Current Globalization Socially and Politically Sustainable? Policy Network, BrusselsJody Heymann M.D., Ph.D.5 December, 2007

Making Globalization Work: Meeting the Opportunities and ThreatsEconomic opportunities for all nationsRisks at a national levelOpportunities for individuals as consumers and in daily lifeOpportunities for workers in expanding economiesRisks for workers as industries in specific nations contract

Social and Political Sustainability will Require Simultaneously:Addressing the impact of globalization on the availability and quality of work in high income countriesImproving the opportunities globalization provides to the poorest workers in all countrieslow, middle, and high incomeEnsuring that amidst the economic transformation, solutions are found that support the healthy development of the next generation

To Achieve This Requires:Recognizing simultaneous major socio-demographic transformation:

Labor force UrbanizationGlobalization

Womens Economic Activity 1970

Womens Economic Activity 1990

Womens Economic Activity 2010

Urbanization 1970

Urbanization 1990

Urbanization 2006

Examples of Opportunities and RisksLabor Transformation: Opportunity: increased gender equality, opportunity to escape poverty.Risk: parental constraints in the availability for caregiving.Urbanization: Opportunity: economic growth and new work possibilities.Risk: separation from extended families and other traditional supports.Globalization:Opportunity: national policymakers and international organizations could set standards for decent working conditions.Risk: pressure on workers to accept low wages and inadequate working conditions.

Research Program ComponentsMapping Global Trends: over 170 countries.In-depth Ethnographic Studies: more than 1,000 in-depth interviews in 6 countries in 5 regions.Statistical Analysis of National Household Surveys: 55,000 households from 7 countries on 5 continents.Systematic Review of Legal and Policy Framework: examination of policies in 180 nations.Case Studies: comprehensive studies of companies in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Current Challenges Include:Well recognized changes in job security, wages, and bargaining position of labor.New challenges due to simultaneous transformation that are profoundly affecting: economic outcomes of families healthy development of the next generation long term prospects

When Low-Income Single Parents Have Young Children Needing Care, School-Age Childrens Enrollment Is at Highest RiskPercentage of Families with At Least One Child Not Enrolled in SchoolSource: Data from national household surveys. Analyses in the above figure are based on households with a 6 -14 year old child.BrazilMexico

Childcare Policies Can Make a Significant Difference:Frequency Children Are Left Alone or in the Care of Other ChildrenSource: Data from Project on Global Working Families in-depth interviews with working caregivers. Analysis is based on households with a 0-5 year old.Percentage Of Families WhoSeguro Social provides childcare for workers in the private formal sectorPublic policies provide formal childcare

When Parents Have Decent Working Conditions, They Are Less Likely to Have to Leave Children Home Alone SickPercentage of Parents Who Had to Leave Child Home Alone SickSource: Data from Project on Global Working Families in-depth interviews with working caregivers. Analyses in the above figure are based on households with a 0-14 year old child.

Moving as Individual Nations- What Can be Done?Examined policy data on 180 countriesLooked at regional leaders on economic competitiveness and unemploymentLooked at regional leaders in human development indicatorsCase studies on countries that had both characteristics

Moving as a Global Community- What Can be Done

Higher Income CountriesConditions at work for individuals and families that help prevent job lossSupports, including childcare, that help avoid job lossEducational opportunitiesLower Income CountriesMore jobs with wages and benefits above current baseConditions at work for individuals and families that help prevent job lossSupports, including childcare, that help avoid job lossEducational opportunitiesAddressing Inequalities in Short and Intermediate Terms

Higher Income CountriesHaving highly educated, high productivity workforceNot having to compete with labor costs that leave workers in povertyLower Income CountriesHaving highly educated, high productivity workforce that can get higher wage jobsHaving infrastructure developedAddressing Inequalities in Long Term

Work, Family, and Equity Index Research BackgroundThe Work, Family, and Equity Index is the first venture to systematically define and measure successful public policies for working families in 180 countries. The evidence-based study uses extensive data from independent research, government sources, academic institutions, professional organizations, and a wide range of international bodies including the UN, OECD, the World Bank, and the ILO. The Work, Family, and Equity Index is part of the Project on Global Working Families, the first program devoted to understanding and improving the relationship between working conditions around the world and family health and well-being.

Strong Consensus in International ConventionsUniversal Declaration of Human Rights: everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection and everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. CEDAW (accepted by 177 countries): all signatories are required a) to prohibit, subject to the imposition of sanctions, dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy or of maternity leave and discrimination in dismissals on the basis of marital status; b) to introduce maternity leave with pay or with comparable social benefits without loss of employment, seniority, or social imbalances.UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (signed by 192 countries): State parties shall render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities and shall ensure the development of institutions, facilities, and services for the care of children.

National LawsSignificant consensus in setting in place national laws guaranteeing basic labor standards:At least 143 countries guarantee paid annual leaveAt least 129 countries provide mandatory day of rest per weekAt least 159 countries provide paid sick leave172 countries guarantee paid maternal leaveAt least 109 countries protect womens right to breastfeed at work

At an earlier stage:69 countries guaranteed paid paternity leave34 countries provided paid parental leaveA few affluent countries, such as the U.S., lag behind in almost all these measures

Options in Equilibria:All countries raising standardsCompetition based on work minimaInvestment in healthy development and education that raises base wage globallyContinuing very low wage, low skill competition

What Do We Need to Achieve Higher Equilibria?Implementation of international labor conventions has had mixed results.

We need to work on consequences and accountability:Incentives: link economic benefits such as increased access to markets to compliance with international labor standardsSanctions: link labor standards to trade agreements without increasing protectionism; one possible approach is through regional agreementsReport Cards: have outside bodies report on countries compliance with international labor conventions to their national constituencies

What Do We Need to Address in Education?Commitment to Early Childhood Care and Education and school-age childrens chances:

Investing in education is particularly important for children living in povertyInvestments in ECCE have long-term benefits for economic growth and development and for both preschool and school-age childrenPoor countries will need funding assistance from rich countries and international organizationsNeed a Global Fund for Early Childhood Care and Education

For More Information:Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy

www.mcgill.ca/ihspjody.heymann@mcgill.ca

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