U2 - Class 11 - Sweatshops

Question 1

Arguments against sweatshops

Answer 1

Low wages and substandard working conditions
Immiserization
Widening gap between rich and poor
Collusion with repressive regimes

Question 2

Maitland’s response to criticism of sweatshops

Answer 2

Low wages and substandard working conditions
Its ok cuz surrounding local companies are WORSE have worse conditions
People in these countries WANT these jobs

Immiserization
Brought jobs

Widening gap between rich and poor
No. actually in those countries it is narrow. They entered the middle class

Collusion with repressive regimes
They are becoming more democratic

Question 3

maitland’s argument

Answer 3

According to Maitland, “the ostensibly humanitarian changes urged by critics” would result in …

Reduced employment in formal sector
Lower incomes in informal sector
Less investment and slower economic growth
Reduced exports
Greater inequality and poverty (pp. 602-3)

Question 4

maitland’s conclusion

Answer 4

Looking at outcome through humanitarian outlook
Using Utilitarianism
1. “It is ethically acceptable to pay market wage rates in developing countries.”
2. “It is ethically unacceptable to pay wages that exceed market levels.”
3. “The best cure for the ills of sweatshops is having more”
(all quotes from p. 603)

Question 5

Are sweatshops ethically justified?

Answer 5

“Sweatshops are ethically okay because that’s how they do business in Bangladesh.”
“Sweatshops are ethically okay because people in Bangladesh actually want sweatshops.”
“Sweatshops are ethically justified because the local community’s microsocial contract allows for them.”
How do we know if this microsocial contract is ethically justified?

Question 6

ISCT on sweatshops

Answer 6

1. Local economic communities may specify ethical norms for their members through microsocial contracts
   Microsocial contract?
   Community? Members (contractors)?
   Moral free space?
2. Norm-specifying microsocial contracts must be grounded in informed consent buttressed by a right of exit
   Informed consent?
   A right of exit?
3. In order to be obligatory, a microsocial contract norm must be compatible with hypernorms
   Hypernorms?

Question 7

discussion: Why is Maitland against the critics’ demand to increase wages at sweatshops?

Answer 7

Lose foreign investors

Question 8

discussion: Maitland said that “companies have a social responsibility to transcend their own narrow preoccupation with protecting their brand image and to publicly defend a system which has greatly improved the lot of millions of workers in developing countries.” What does he mean by the “system”? What are the companies’ “social responsibility”?

Answer 8

capitalism

Question 9

discussion: Which ethical approach does Maitland use?

Answer 9

utilatarianism

Question 10

discussion: How would Maitland respond to H&M and Walmart’s pledges to improve working conditions of overseas workers?

Answer 10

Critical because negative outcomes