Comparative Study of the Interprovincial Value Chain Embedding Degree of DecentWork in China's Trade - Based on the Perspective of Labor Clauses in Regional TradeAgreements

Abstract

In the context of China's accession to labor clauses in regional trade agreements in the process of globalization, a comparative study of the interprovincial value chain embedding degree of decent work is beneficial for accurately measuring the development differences of regional trade in China. It also provides empirical support for the future development
direction of labor clauses in regional trade agreements based on the development differences in different regions. Based on composite weighting calculation and analysis of the degree of decent work of urban labor force in different regions of China from 2014 to 2021, and using
decomposition model to calculate the global value chain embedding degree, this study analyzes the interprovincial differences of decent work on the value chain embedding degree through fixed effects model. Furthermore, it examines the specific mechanism of influence by labor cost as an intermediary. The study finds that: (1) Improving the degree of decent work helps to enhance the global value chain embedding degree of various provinces in China. (2) The degree of decent work significantly promotes the improvement of the global value chain embedding degree in the eastern and central regions, with a higher impact on the central region than the eastern region, while the impact on the western region and the northeastern region is not significant. Moreover, the promotion effect of decent work on the secondary industry is more significant than that on the tertiary industry. (3) Although the degree of decent work increases labor costs, it is conducive to increasing trade volume and promoting the improvement of the global value chain embedding degree under the background of enterprises joining the SA8000 corporate social responsibility. Based on this, this paper proposes measures such as improving labor laws and regulations, improving the protection
system of labor rights and interests, and improving the degree of decent work for workers; leveraging regional advantages to achieve overall improvement in the division of labor status of different regions in China's trade value chain; strengthening support for high-tech manufacturing and innovation in business development models, etc., to improve the interprovincial value chain embedding degree of China's different regions. Furthermore, through strengthening the research and coordination of labor standards clauses in regional trade agreements, actively promoting the inclusion of labor clauses in regional trade agreements, formulating differentiated standards for phased coordination of labor clauses, and advocating the establishment of friendly cooperative dispute resolution mechanisms or adopting the model of signing subsidiary labor agreements to solve labor problems, etc., exploring the development path of China's accession to labor clauses in regional trade