The ripple effect: Peer ILO treaty ratification, regional socialization, and collective labor standards

The article analyzes labor standards using a new dataset and finds a peer effect of treaty ratification, and a positive effect of relationship with the EU. The article examines the ILO's and the EU’s labor rights promotion activities since the late 1990s. It reviews international causes of changes in countries' labor standards. It draws on literature on the role of global and regional institutions in shaping country level policies and formulates research hypotheses regarding labor standards. The article describes the new dataset and the spatial-OLS estimation method used. The results indicate that the causes of labor rights protection levels in Europe are different from those identified in other regions and stem from institutional transnational factors rather than from trade and foreign direct investment.