Introduction
Providing key managerial insights from research on assessing and improving working conditions in supply chains.
Most Recent Insights

Working Conditions and Factory Survival: Evidence from Better Factories Cambodia
February 2021By: Raymond Robertson, Drusilla Brown, Rajeev Dehejia
This study finds no evidence that improving compensation and health & safety heightens risk of plant closure – and that improving compensation may actually increase plant survival.

Can Brands Claim Ignorance? Unauthorized Subcontracting in Apparel Supply Chains
2020By: Felipe Caro, Leonard Lane, Anna Saez de Tejada Cuenca
Unauthorized subcontracting in apparel factories occurs more frequently when previous orders were subcontracted, buyers exert pricing pressure, a brand is not well known, and lead times are longer.

Buyer Engagement and Labour Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Bangladesh Accord and Beyond
September 2020By: Chikako Oka, Niklas Egels-Zanden, Rachel Alexander
Buyers monitor and try to improve their suppliers’ labor standards via auditing, capacity building, and government advocacy. What are the tradeoffs - and how can each method be deployed more effectively?

Voice in Supply Chains: Does the Better Work Program Lead to Improvements in Labor Standards Compliance?
August 2020By: Kelly Pike
Strengthening worker voice and incorporating worker feedback into supplier remediation plans led to improvements in other labor standard compliance areas including worker safety, wage practices, and training programs.

Lights On: How Transparency Increases Compliance in Cambodian Global Value Chains
August 2020By: Raymond Robertson
Making factories’ audit results publicly available in Cambodia increased compliance with some aspects of labor standards including emergency preparedness and paying bonus compensation.

Improving Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Institutional Environments and Monitoring Program Design
August 2020By: Jodi Short, Michael W. Toffel, Andrea R. Hugill
Suppliers improve working conditions more after pre-announced audits conducted by highly-trained auditors, and when they—or their buyers —face greater exposé risk for problematic supply chain working conditions.