Gijsbert Van liemt

• Self-employed economist

In Sweden, over 28% of all medical doctors have been trained abroad. In the Netherlands this group makes up 3% of the total. In both countries the vast majority of these foreign-trained doctors received their diploma in another EU Member State. Thanks to EU Directive 2005/36/EC they benefit from automatic diploma recognition that allows them to wor...

With over one million employees, Hon Hai Precision Industry- that uses the Foxconn trade mark- is the world’s leading contract manufacturer. This key partner to Apple, HP and many other well-known brands is facing several challenges: slowing demand growth for electronics hardware; a weakening link with Apple; rising labour costs, and a more asserti...

This paper reviews available data on the occupational characteristics of cultural workers, their employment relationships and income. It considers the role of the State in cultural and creative industries, and asks to what extent arts and culture set the trend for the rest of the labour market. Most arts and culture workers have a high level of com...

Vocational training is where the world of work meets the world of education; business is both a future employer of vocational training graduates and a partner in education, as it provides students with essential practical training. However, the world of work and the education community approach vocational training from different perspectives and to...

Comparing the experiences of three countries, this paper concludes that the development of Private Employment Agencies (PrEAs, or temp agencies) must be considered in conjunction with changes in the regulatory framework and in the structure of the labour market. Their growth has been facilitated by the easing of restrictions on their activities, bu...

This paper considers the contributions that international trade and Dutch government policy make to poverty alleviation in developing countries. It includes a conceptual note on Trade and Poverty. The Netherlands’ efficient infrastructure facilitates all international trade. The paper discusses in some detail the effects of the EU’s preferential ac...

Several technology companies now accept responsibility for ensuring decent working conditions at their suppliers and subcontractors. But what exactly can and should they accept responsibility for (and who should define this)? How deep into the supply chain can this responsibility be expected to go? And who should monitor compliance? Based on interv...

Subcontracting (aka outsourcing), a key feature of modern manufacturing, helps lead firms to spread risks, lower costs and tap into technologies and expertise that they may not have available ‘in-house’. International subcontracting is a refinement of this model. This paper is on outsourcing to ‘contract manufacturers’ in the production of electron...

The world tobacco industry is under attack from many sides; advertising bans, ever increasing taxes, and restrictions on the space where smoking is permitted all reduce demand. Litigation threatens its existence. Yet tobacco companies continue to make good profits and this paper explains why this so. It discusses trends in consumption and productio...

The anti-globalists see a world in which powerful big corporations place the pursuit of short-term profitability above the fulfillment of important needs, such as care for the environment, human rights and poverty reduction. Global governance is biased in favor of the interests of these big corporations. As a result they consider it their duty to p...

The victims of human trafficking are irregular migrants who through deception enter into, and through coercion stay in an exploitative or exploitation-like situation. This paper argues that it is often easier to establish who is an irregular migrant than to establish deception in an unambiguous fashion. Likewise, with the exception of extreme cases...

Antiglobalisten willen een ander soort globalisering- eerlijk, democratisch en met aandacht voor mensenrechten en duurzame ontwikkeling. Ze vinden dat besluitvorming in de WTO transparanter moet worden. Ondernemingen zouden meer aandacht moeten besteden aan brede maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen en zich niet alleen laten leiden door kortetermijnwins...

This chapter is about corporate social responsibility in international sourcing. A growing number of retailers and producers of branded goods now have a Code of Conduct to indicate that they accept responsibility for the working conditions at their subcontractors.This paper discusses different types of Codes (company, branch, country codes), and th...

Reviews the Social Dimensions of Global and Regional Economic Integration, as well as Public and Private Initiatives to cope with the Negative Consequences of Deeper Economic Integration

Globalization, that catch word of our time, is provoking mixed reactions in the industrialized world. Most see it as inevitable. Many defend it as a positive phenomenon. Many others — workers in particular — are uneasy about the effects it is having on them and feel defenceless, unable to protect themselves against what they consider to be its nega...

Substandard working conditions may constitute an unfair trading advantage but the multilateral trading system does not want to take account of the conditions under which traded goods are produced (a product is a product); attempts to raise this issue at the GATT/WTO have gone nowhere. The International Labour Organization ILO sets minimum internati...

Pressured by intense international competition, manufacturing companies are adopting Best Practice methods of production organization that aim at simultaneously reaching high levels of quality, productivity and flexibility at competitive costs. Current Best Practice includes extensive use of subcontracting, ‘Just-in-Time’ production, ‘Total’ Qualit...

There is currently no multilateral social clause in operation and this paper explains why this is so. However, a wide range of other initiatives (bilateral and unilateral government initiatives; autonomous company initiatives) exists that aim at improving labour conditions by allowing sanctions to be taken against exporters who fail to observe mini...

E s un hecho reconocido que los distintos Estados están haciéndose econó-micamente más interdependientes. En general, se estima que éste es un fenómeno positivo, puesto que una mejor asignación de los recursos debería tener el efecto de elevar el nivel de vida. Pero a muchos les preocupan las posibles consecuencias sociales negativas de semejante d...

The author reviews some of the arguments for and against the use of a social clause, and considers the standards which have been suggested for inclusion. He discusses some of the instances where a social clause has been adopted and whether these provided for sanctions. The recent initiatives in the United States to link import policy with labour st...

This paper deals with two interrelated subjects: (1) the shifts that are taking place in the international location of the manufacturing industry, and (2) the process of adjustment within countries that causes, and is the consequence of these global changes. It considers these subjects from four perspectives: the national, the industry, the company...

Focuses on manufacturing in Europe. Suggests not a halt to government intervention but a different type of intervention and a new approach to change altogether. Discusses some of the desiderata that could make current industrial policies more effective, including greater transparency as regards aid to industry and improved co-ordination between the...

Ce n'est pas d'hier que, dans bien des pays, les pouvoirs publics prennent des mesures pour aider l'économie à s'adapter à l'évolution structurelle. Depuis quelques années, cependant, le chômage ne cessant d'augmenter, ces interventions se sont multipliées et elles suscitent des critiques croissantes, qui visent tant leur efficacité que leur «légit...