An environmental agenda for APEC: Lessons from NAFTA

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum has been slow to deal with trade and the environment issues. In contrast, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its environmental side agreement incorporate extensive environmental provisions and institutions in its framework. APEC could usefully build upon the NAFTA experience.     

Book Review

This paper discusses partial approaches to trade liberalization, such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group's Early Voluntary Sector Liberalization (EVSL) proposal and the "zero-for-zero" approach. Distortions to resource allocation and global markets that might result from partial liberalizations are discussed, and parallels drawn to the possible trade diversion impacts and welfare losses of regional liberalization and tariff escalation. A global Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model is used to provide some numerical illustrations of the issues with respect to international trade in grains, oilseeds, and related processed products.     

APEC贸易投资自由化:进程、挑战与展望

亚太经济合作组织(APEC)自成立以来,在推进贸易投资自由化方面取得了显著成效,关税和非关税壁垒大幅削减,服务业总体开放程度提高,投资准入门槛降低,但与亚太地区自由与开放的贸易投资目标仍存在一定差距。当前,APEC面临国际环境、内部机制、议题领域、成员利益以及与区域内其他合作机制关系等方面的挑战。为此,APEC需要进一步完善机制,以亚太自贸区建设作为新动力,打造更加包容普惠的贸易投资自由化,并发挥国际经贸规则制定的试验场作用。作为APEC重要成员之一,中国应积极参与和引领APEC机制的改革,推动构建全面、高质量的亚太自贸区,将"共商、共建、共享"的新理念融入APEC贸易投资自由化进程,并利用APEC平台参与国际经贸规则的制定。     

Labour Migration and Economic Growth in East and South‐East Asia

East and South‐East Asia will face major demographic changes over the next few decades with many countries’ labour forces starting to decline, while others experience higher labour force growth as populations and/or participation rates increase. A well‐managed labour migration strategy presents itself as a mechanism for ameliorating the impending labour shortages in some East Asia–Pacific countries, while providing an opportunity for other countries with excess labour to provide migrant workers who will contribute to the development of the home country through greater remittance flows. This paper examines such migration policy options using a global dynamic economic simulation approach and finds that allowing migrants to respond to the major demographic changes occurring in Asia over the next 50 years would be beneficial to most economies in the region in terms of real incomes and real GDP over the 2007–50 period. Such a policy could deeply affect the net migration position of a country. Countries that were net recipients under current migration policies might become net senders under the more liberal policy regime.     

Transparency and Regional Integration in the Asia Pacific

We show in this paper that increasing the transparency of the trading environment can be an important complement to traditional liberalisation of tariff and non‐tariff barriers. Our definition of transparency is grounded in a transaction cost analysis. We focus on two dimensions of transparency: predictability (reducing the cost of uncertainty) and simplification (reducing information costs). Using the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies as a case study, we construct indices of importer and exporter transparency for the region from a wide range of sources. Our results from a gravity model suggest that improving trade‐related transparency in APEC could hold significant benefits by raising intra‐APEC trade by approximately US$148 billion or 7.5 per cent of baseline trade in the region. Action to improve transparency measures examined could be undertaken in many forms, including within the current APEC framework or future talks on a Free Trade Area in the Asia Pacific.     

Compressed Development: Global value chains,multinational enterprises and human resource development in 21st century Asia

The classical Late Development model at the heart of the “new competitive order” in Asia since the 1960s has been challenged by a new Compressed Development approach, which, developing on the global value chain framework, proposes a new interpretation of international production, trade and competition in goods and services. This paper provides a first analysis of the human resource development dimensions of this new analysis using an APEC case-study. The analysis has significant implications, for states and MNEs as they consider appropriate reconfigurations of HRD in the Asian region, and for our understanding of global production in the 21st century.     

Labour NGOs: An Alternative Form of Labour Organizing in Indonesia, 1991–1998

Although Indonesia's labour non-government organizations (NGOs) are in many ways unique, they are in fact part of a global surge in non-traditional labour activism, in which international and indigenous labour NGOs have played an important role. This contribution examines the contribution of labour NGOs to the reconstruction of the Indonesian labour movement in the 1990s and its implications for our understanding of the contemporary labour movement more generally. It argues that the Indonesian experience suggests theorists and unionists should broaden their understanding of the labour movement to make room for non-traditional forms of labour movement organizations, such as labour NGOs, that have the potential to (and do) contribute to that movement.     

Charting the pacific: an empirical assessment of integration initiatives

Trade negotiations after Uruguay may well be dominated by the Pacific Rim, where two free trade areas (ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, or AFTA; and North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA) already exist and larger agreements are under active discussion (involving the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, area and an East Asian Economic Group). This article analyzes several initiatives using a simple global general equilibrium model that incorporates conventional welfare gains as well as benefits derived from firm level economies of scale, induced changes in foreign investment, and dynamic increases in productivity. Broad Pacific liberalization—i.e., East Asia, North America, and Australasia—is shown to be superior for each participant to liberalization limited to individual countries or East Asia, but not by much. Most favored nation liberalization is shown to be superior for each participant to preferential liberalization—if the actor is East Asia, but not the Pacific as a whole. These estimates will need to be refined, but they suggest that the benefits from Pacific liberalization could exceed $100 billion per year.     

东亚经济一体化:理论基础与现实指向

随着经济全球化的迅速发展,区域经济一体化成为不可逆转的趋势。尽管东亚已经成为世界第三大经济体,但是除了正在成长中的东盟自由贸易区和没有约束力的亚太经合组织、亚欧会议外,东亚尚未形成正式的区域经济一体化组织。通过分析东亚区域经济一体化发展过程中的"雁行模式"的利弊、APEC的特点、四轮驱动模式的作用,针对东亚区域经济一体化的特点、建立东亚共同体的长远目标,提出了加快实现东亚经济一体化的若干对策建议。     

亚太经合组织方式面临的挑战及发展前景分析

作为全球最大的区域性经济合作组织,亚太经合组织(APEC)满足了亚太各成员体加强合作的要求,在许多领域取得了令人瞩目的进展,发挥了重大的历史作用。然而,它毕竟不是一种成熟的经济一体化模式,许多方面正面临着严峻的挑战。未来,APEC可能会沿着不同的方向发展,或发展成一个由松散到紧密关系的经济合作组织,或走向亚太自由贸易区,亦或以“探路者”方式推进APEC贸易投资自由化。在APEC的发展中,中国作为一个发展中大国,应发挥积极的作用。     

Globalization,labour and prospects

This collection examined the impact of globalization on labour and its organization. The contributions were drawn from a variety of countries in the Asia Pacific and, based on the evidence presented, four major conclusions can be drawn. These conclusions are presented and discussed under the headings of universalism and determinism, deregulation and labour markets, labour's role in competitiveness, and labour organization. Such comparative work shows that, overall, globalization's terrain is uneven and contested and that labour and states are not the helpless victims of global economic forces.     

Change in Asia: a review of management theory and research related to human resources

Many competing hypotheses have been advanced to account for human resource management (HRM) change. The present review examines the theoretical development and empirical study in HRM change in Asia in the early twenty-first century (2000–2006). Three research themes common to HRM change are discussed: (1) change context is about the issues of forces facilitating or hindering HRM change; (2) change process includes pace, sequence and magnitude of HRM change progress; and (3) change direction is about resultant change outcome. Comparisons of HRM change are made within Asian economies as well as between Asia and other regions. It is concluded that the interplay among different perspectives can produce a wide variety of more complex understanding of change context while a longitudinal approach can add value to explain dynamic process and resultant direction.     

The Development of HRM Practices in Taiwan

Small and medium-sized, mostly family-owned, enterprises employ more than 60 per cent of paid employees in Taiwan; however, these enterprises traditionally do not have distinct human resource management functions. In contrast, state-owned and large-sized private enterprises have gradually established their human resource systems and learned HRM techniques from foreign-owned companies. The article first examines employment structure and labour market development in Taiwan, then evaluates employment legislation and the development of HRM functions, and finally identifies several major future challenges, such as employee participation and employment security.     

WTO Negotiations and Other Agricultural Trade Issues in Japan

This paper examines the current developments in WTO negotiations on agriculture and discusses the issues of greatest concern to Japan as well as agricultural issues in free trade area (FTA) negotiations relating to Japan. With regard to agricultural policies in Japan it is stressed that: (1) structural reform in Japanese agriculture is essential to promote the WTO agricultural negotiations and to make negotiations on FTAs more effective and prompt; (2) Japan must consider various measures to increase the investment of capital from outside agriculture and the accumulation of new human capital; and (3) there should be increased market competition in Japanese agriculture so that productive resources can be better concentrated in efficient farms and farm businesses. On international issues, it may be desirable to establish an international forum, particularly among Asian countries, to discuss important agricultural issues in the region. This forum should consider not only agricultural tariff reductions, but also sanitary and phyto‐sanitary (SPS) measures that might be addressed in working toward a broader FTA in Asia. The objective would be for Japan to play a strong leadership role in seeking wider cooperation on agricultural policies and agricultural resource management together with potential FTA partners in the Asian region.     

Brands as labour rights advocates? Potential and limits of brand advocacy in global supply chains

There is a growing phenomenon of brand advocacy, where brands pressure a producer country government to take pro‐worker actions such as respecting the rights of activists and raising minimum wages. This article examines the potential and limits of brand advocacy by developing a conceptual framework and analysing three recent cases of brand advocacy in Cambodia's garment industry. The study shows that brands' action and influence are shaped by issue salience, mobilization structures, political opportunities/contexts, and resource dependency. This article makes both empirical and theoretical contributions. This is one of the first studies delving into the advocacy role of brands in promoting labour rights and conditions vis‐à‐vis government. Moreover, the article develops a testable framework specifying the conditions under which brands are likely to respond, act collectively, and influence government for pro‐worker change. It also offers novel insights by applying social movement lenses and casting brands as social movement actors.     

Approaches to child labour in the supply chain

This paper examines the difficulties of dealing with child labour in the supply chain. It begins by identifying a number of the factors which make global supply chains so difficult to manage. It goes on to outline a framework of different approaches that can be taken to managing the supply chain with relation to child labour, moving from national and international regulation, through to the role of NGOs and the companies themselves. Focusing on an 'engagement' strategy for dealing with child labour, the paper traces a case study of Adidas-Salomon and its attempts to implement their 'standards of engagement' in this area with relation to one of their supplier factories in Vietnam. The research draws on the direct involvement of one of the authors who visited the site and was able to interview staff and observe the operation in practice. Her findings are supported by wider work on the implementation of corporate approaches to human rights at a range of companies interviewed by another of the authors. The paper aims to highlight the issues needing to be addressed for companies considering the 'involvement' approach to child labour. It also aims to develop theory on our understanding of different approaches to corporate rights.     

Globalization,labour market deregulation and trade unions in Singapore

This contribution examines recent trends in globalization and their effects on the labour market in Singapore. It discusses the responses of the government and the trade union movement to the challenges of globalization, and concludes by looking at the changing role of the trade union movement in Singapore. Citing government policies in dealing with the recent economic crisis, the article highlights the ‘managed flexibility’ approach of the government. We find that the trade union movement has gained considerably in stature and influence in providing training for the workers and helping them cope with retrenchment and the recession.     

APEC经济技术合作的最新进展情况与政策建议

APEC作为世界上最大的区域经济合作论坛组织,近年来在世界经济和区域经济的发展中发挥了举足轻重的作用.作为APEC两大支柱之一的经济技术合作则是加强亚太经合组织凝聚力的重要途径.然而相对于APEC另一支柱--贸易和投资自由化的发展则显得有些滞后.应在筹措资金、合作机制的建设和项目的评估等三个方面促进经济技术合作,以促进APEC两大支柱协调发展.     

Localized poaching and skills shortages of manufacturing employees among MNEs in China

Using a mixed-method approach, we examine the experiences and responses among foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) of employee poaching and skills shortages in a prominent Chinese electronics manufacturing hub (Suzhou Industrial Park). This highlights strategic challenges MNEs face in Asia Pacific economies as more advanced subsidiaries outgrow their earlier low-cost, low-skill vocations. In examining poaching empirically, we also extend the field by introducing a local labour market perspective into the study of HRM in China. Third, we advance theorization of employee poaching beyond mainstream Western approaches to capture the interactions between internal and local labour markets that increasingly mark FIE manufacturing in fast developing economies.     

Human resources in Vietnam: The global challenge

This article takes a critical look at the management of people in Vietnam. It examines the prevailing business environment and the reform process and their implications for skill formation and the development of managerial expertise. The analysis then proceeds to examine on a thematic basis some specific human resource practices in four firms based in Hanoi—two state‐owned enterprises and two multinationals. The article analyzes the traditional and emergent human resource practices showing how they reflect industrial and historical‐cultural contextual factors. The discussion also considers the suitability and adequacy of these practices while locating them within the international human resource management debate. This article thus contributes to the critique of global human resource management by exploring the relevance of mainstream human resource theory and practice to the Vietnamese case, especially given the increasing role of multinational firms in the Vietnamese economy. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.