Brèves réflexions sur la reconnaissance d'un « droit à la différence alimentaire » dans le commerce international

We repeatedly hear that the World Trade Organization's rules (modified in 1994 to reinforce the principle of worldwide free trade) tend to inevitably uniformize culture in food, among other things. Whether in the case of bovine growth hormones or genetically modified organisms, WTO rules will ultimately impose a single food model as a universal reference mark. In France, these ideas crop up in talk about malbouffe (bad eating) and calls for a return to democratic choices or for instituting a fundamental “right” to freely choose food habits. Even though such talk has sometimes confused the issues, it has shed light on how the food question is presented in international trade. Increasingly, the issue is to defend national or regional values, or even choices about the type of society. What place do WTO rules reserve for these values ? Under what conditions can such values justify exemptions from free-trade rules and, ultimately, the maintenance of a “right to food differences”? As the European Union is thoroughly changing food legislation in line with its own concepts - the precautionary principle, the plurality and independence of procedures for evaluating foodstuffs, the well-being of animals, etc. - the answers provided to the foregoing questions will be decisive. - Special issue on Agriculture and food.     

Les professionnels du droit comme acteurs du politique : revue critique de la littérature nord-américaine et enjeux pour une importation en Europe continentale

For many years, North-American social sciences have been analyzing legal professionals as political actors, while in Continental Europe the relationship among law, politics, and society has remained under-examined. At the moment, a central project for US sociolegal studies is exporting to other political and legal contexts hypotheses previously tested inside US borders, raising the question of the generalizability and/or the globalization of US socio-legal analyses. After briefly describing why social sciences have been focusing on law and social changes in the United States, this article aims to determine what prerequisites are necessary for exporting sociolegal studies outside the US, devoting particular attention to historically contingent —and nationally-distinct— relations between law, political power and the social sciences.     

越战和谈中的中国因素新探

1972年是中美缓和与越战和谈的关键一年,二者同时进行并相互影响。越南问题最终和平解决在很大程度上是由于中美缓和后客观上给越南带来的孤立感和压力,而非通常所认为的是中国为了与美国缓和向越方施压的结果。     

How much do OECD countries spend on social protection and how redistributive are their tax/benefit systems?

The global economic crisis has reignited interest in social policy and public spending on different types of social benefits. Public social spending‐to‐GDP ratios are often used to consider the magnitude of welfare systems in international perspective, but such comparisons alone give an incomplete picture of social effort across countries. This article looks at these different factors, before briefly considering the redistributive nature of tax/benefit systems in different member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD). The article also considers trends in social spending and compares spending in the late 2000s with the early 1990s when the previous economic crisis played out. The article ends by illustrating the profound effect the recent global economic crisis had on social spending trends across OECD countries.     

Social security contributions: Economic and public finance considerations

Social security contributions make up around a fourth of total tax revenue in OECD countries. However, there are concerns on the economic effects of high levies on labour. Recent studies suggest that at least a third of taxes on labour are shifted onto employers, leading to higher wage costs. We find substantial evidence in the literature that the nature of social security contributions matters. With a clear connection between contributions and rights, the employee will perceive this contribution as a price and not as a tax. As a consequence, these contributions will be less distortive in terms of labour supply, wage costs and private savings.     

De la montée en gamme économique à la montée en gamme sociale dans le secteur éthiopien du textile et de l'habillement: le rôle des acteurs locaux

Les auteurs explorent les liens entre montée en gamme économique et avancées sociales en Éthiopie, pays en développement doté d'une politique industrielle volontariste et d'une législation du travail stricte. Ils analysent pour ce faire les stratégies de cinq entreprises impliquées dans les réseaux de production mondiaux de l'habillement, observées en 2015. L'analyse montre que les réglementations influant sur la sécurité de l'emploi et le bien-être physique des travailleurs sont négociées par les employeurs locaux, les travailleurs et les syndicats plutôt que par les acheteurs mondiaux. Elle prouve également que la montée en gamme économique peut s'accompagner d'une dégradation sociale au sein d'une même entreprise.     

Introduction – Travail,emploi, société: que nous réserve l'avenir?

Partant de la matière de ce numéro spécial, les auteurs mettent en évidence les grands thèmes de recherche sur l'avenir du travail. Ils décrivent les mutations accélérées du monde du travail qui offrent des possibilités de croissance génératrice d'égalité, mais avec le risque de mal gérer le changement technique, les inégalités (en insistant sur le caractère intersectionnel et persistant des inégalités entre hommes et femmes), les chaînes d'approvisionnement mondiales et les nouvelles possibilités de dialogue social. Partant, ils formulent des recommandations pour renforcer la protection des travailleurs et les institutions qui les représentent, revoir les cadres réglementaires et les systèmes fiscaux, et enfin assurer des transitions équitables.     

L'évolution du tissu social – entre nouvelles technologies et tendances socio‐économiques anciennes

Nos sociétés vivent‐elles aujourd'hui une nouvelle révolution industrielle? Les auteurs s'efforcent de répondre à cette question à partir d'une évaluation des conséquences des changements technologiques sur le tissu socio‐économique actuel, notamment sous l'angle de l'emploi, des inégalités, des conditions de travail et des relations professionnelles. Ils avancent que les processus d'innovation et la diffusion de «l'automatisation intelligente» risquent de renforcer des schémas de répartition des revenus et des rapports de force inéquitables (certains préexistants à l'arrivée des technologies et d'autres apparus au cours des trente à quarante dernières années). Ils détaillent les implications de ces évolutions sur les politiques à mettre en ?uvre.     

Has the redistributive effect of social transfers and taxes changed over time across countries?

In most Member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation Development (OECD), the income gap between rich and poor has widened over the past decades. This article analyses whether and to what extent income taxes and social transfers have contributed to this trend. Has the redistributive impact of different social programmes changed over time? We use microdata from the LIS Cross National Data Center in Luxembourg for the period 1982–2014 and study both the total population and the working‐age population. In contrast to the results of some other studies, especially by the OECD, we do not find that redistribution has declined. Tax‐benefit systems around 2013 are more effective at reducing income inequality compared to the mid‐1980s and the mid‐1990s, especially among the total population. Changes in social programmes are not a driver of greater income inequality across the countries included in this study.     

Work,social protection and the middle classes: What future in the digital age?

The digitalization of the economy can be interpreted as an industrial revolution, a series of technological innovations associated with new practices and new business models. As for previous industrial revolutions, a phase involving the destruction of existing systems and structures is driving a profound transformation of the world of work and the development of new sectors of activity and new jobs, including changes in the labour market and in the types of jobs created. This puts into question the position of the middle classes, and presents new challenges for social protection. This article seeks to understand the impacts of digital technology on the economy and employment, including the phenomena of labour market polarization. It describes the new forms of employment and work and analyses the social risks and the likely ramifications for the middle classes in the digital age. In turn, new possibilities for social protection in the digital age are discussed. The article concludes that there is a need to re‐evaluate jobs that involve the provision of personal and care services, including to support social investment, to strengthen the future prospects of the weakened middle classes.