Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry
This article explores the recent history of South Africa's clothing industry, focusing on the rapid decline of formal sector employment and parallel growth in informal work, including small, home-based producers. We show that although the changing global regulatory regime and other external fac...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pluto Journals
2011-06-01
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| Series: | Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation |
| Online Access: | https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/workorgalaboglob.5.1.0076 |
| _version_ | 1827954472795504640 |
|---|---|
| author | Marlea Clarke Shane Godfrey |
| author_facet | Marlea Clarke Shane Godfrey |
| author_sort | Marlea Clarke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores the recent history of South Africa's clothing industry, focusing on the rapid decline of formal sector employment and parallel growth in informal work, including small, home-based producers. We show that although the changing global regulatory regime and other external factors have shaped employment patterns in the sector, it is internal factors, particularly the country's powerful domestic retail industry and related changes in domestic sourcing patterns, which are largely responsible for informalisation and the current crisis facing the sector. The article concludes by suggesting that the various ‘low-road’ strategies adopted by manufactures aimed at competing with imports based on price are unsustainable. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:30:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-041b390c3b2b4ee6b80c4213fb5cc379 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1745-641X 1745-6428 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:30:01Z |
| publishDate | 2011-06-01 |
| publisher | Pluto Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation |
| spelling | doaj.art-041b390c3b2b4ee6b80c4213fb5cc3792023-05-03T15:54:35ZengPluto JournalsWork Organisation, Labour and Globalisation1745-641X1745-64282011-06-0151769410.13169/workorgalaboglob.5.1.0076Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industryMarlea ClarkeShane GodfreyThis article explores the recent history of South Africa's clothing industry, focusing on the rapid decline of formal sector employment and parallel growth in informal work, including small, home-based producers. We show that although the changing global regulatory regime and other external factors have shaped employment patterns in the sector, it is internal factors, particularly the country's powerful domestic retail industry and related changes in domestic sourcing patterns, which are largely responsible for informalisation and the current crisis facing the sector. The article concludes by suggesting that the various ‘low-road’ strategies adopted by manufactures aimed at competing with imports based on price are unsustainable.https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/workorgalaboglob.5.1.0076 |
| spellingShingle | Marlea Clarke Shane Godfrey Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation |
| title | Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry |
| title_full | Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry |
| title_fullStr | Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry |
| title_short | Skirting Regulation? Trade Liberalisation, Retailers and the Informalisation of South Africa's Clothing industry |
| title_sort | skirting regulation trade liberalisation retailers and the informalisation of south africa s clothing industry |
| url | https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.13169/workorgalaboglob.5.1.0076 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marleaclarke skirtingregulationtradeliberalisationretailersandtheinformalisationofsouthafricasclothingindustry AT shanegodfrey skirtingregulationtradeliberalisationretailersandtheinformalisationofsouthafricasclothingindustry |