9 pages., Via online journal., Using an agent-based model we explore the model of slavery in modern business developed by Crane (2013). Taking the Spanish agricultural sector—specifically the area of Campo de Dalías in Almería where much of Europe's vegetables are grown—as a case, we find that labour exploitation flourishes in communities of like-minded companies that do not care about mainstream norms. We confirm which socio-economic aspects of labour demand/supply lead to slavery, while challenging the assumption that markets which are dominated by few employers are more prone to exploiting workers. We find that, regarding isolation and connectedness of employers, cluster effects and intense inter-employer communication are particularly effective drivers of underpayment if the cluster is homogenous in terms of wage level and if it is isolated from law-abiding employers. This means that employers tend to confirm and reinforce each other in their illegal behaviour, thus creating enclaves in which non-standard norms prevail and worker exploitation is regarded as legitimate. On the other hand, we see that breaking the isolation of employees among each other only increases pay levels if there are law-abiding employers, pointing to the potentially beneficial role social business and entrepreneurs, state-owned companies, or public entrepreneurs could play for transforming labour conditions of entire markets.
Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems Project "Public Goods and University-Industry Relationships in Agricultural Biotechnology"
Format:
Online article
Publication Date:
2003-11-05
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 128 Document Number: C18893
Notes:
59 pages; November 19-20, 2002 Charles Hamner Conf. Center Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Posted at www.ageditors.com, President of American Agricultural Editors' Association describes challenges facing editorial independence and emphasizes the importance of following guidelines identified in the AAEA Code of Ethics.
Presented during a conference, The Amish, Old Orders and the Media, at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, in June 2001. One of six papers related to the culture clash between the traditional Old Orders and the modern media of mass communication.
"The strong influence of education and literacy on these choices demonstrated in the preceding analysis is a strong argument for continuing to improve the quality of education in American society."
