Abstract
Using archival sources, the authors study strategic and organizational
change in the International Labour Organization (ILO) over
the last twenty years. They focus specifically on the ILO's efforts to
incorporate certain elements of the "new governance" model into
its policies and organizational practices, which include the shift
from standards expressed as detailed legal norms to "soft law"; the
active involvement of civil society organizations other than trade
unions and employer associations in regulatory activities; and the
introduction of quantitative indicators of compliance with labor
standards. They argue that the efforts of the ILO leadership have
been waylaid by the organization's corporatist structure, which gives
employer associations and trade unions veto power over policy developments
at a time in which these actors are increasingly unable to
agree on concrete policy measures. Finally, the authors ask whether
this corporatist structure accurately reflects the ILO's self-defined
mission: providing "decent work for all."
