What works and why? Results of a synthesis review of social dialogue interventions 2002-2012 International Labour Organization April 2013 Evaluation Unit Copyright © International Labour Organization 2013 First published 2013 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Permissions), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with reproduction rights organizations may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. _________________________________________________________________________ ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data Voss, Eckhard; Gospel, Howard; Dornelas, Antonio; Vitols, Katrin What works and why? : Results of a synthesis review of social dialogue interventions 2002-2012 / Eckhard Voss, Howard Gospel, Antonio Dornelas, Katrin Vitols ; International Labour Office, Evaluation Unit. - Geneva: ILO, 2013 ISBN : 9789221275688; 9789221275695 (web pdf) International Labour Office; Evaluation Unit social dialogue / labour relations / role of ILO / development project / project evaluation / evaluation technique 13.06.1 _________________________________________________________________________ The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. 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Catalogues or lists of new publications are available free of charge from the above address, or by email: [email protected] Visit our website: www.ilo.org/publns Printed by the International Labour Office, Geneva, Switzerland Preface Social dialogue and tripartism will be the topic for the Recurrent Discussion on Social Dialogue during the 2013 International Labour Conference (ILC). At the constituents’ request, ILO’s Evaluation Unit (EVAL) commissioned this working paper with the aim of contributing to this discussion by synthesising results and lessons learned from selected evaluations of ILO interventions in the social dialogue sphere. The paper was prepared by Eckhard Voss of Wilke, Maack and Partner; Howard Gospel of Kings College, University of London, and Said Business School, University of Oxford; Antonio Dornelas of Lisbon University Institute; and Katrin Vitols also of Wilke, Maack and Partner. The authors dedicate the report to Antonio Dornelas who unexpectedly passed away during the project. The report has benefited from input from many inside the ILO. I would like to express special appreciation to Magali Bonne-Moreau, short-term ILO Evaluation Officer for managing the project with me, her insightful comments on the various drafts of the report and substantial technical editing to shorten the report and sharpen the messages. Thanks are also due to Craig Russon, ILO Senior Evaluation Officer, for his valuable support to the project. Guy Thijs Director ILO Evaluation Unit i Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................................................... i Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................................... v Executive summary .............................................................................................................................................. vi 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Guiding questions and outline of the methodology ...................................................................................... 1 2.1 Key review questions ......................................................................................................................... 1 2.2 The synthesis review approach ........................................................................................................ 2 2.3 Overview of studies identified for the synthesis review ................................................................... 3 3. Major trends of social dialogue interventions over the last decade ............................................................ 4 3.1 Social dialogue in a world of accelerated change ............................................................................ 4 3.2 Trends in capacity building for employers’ and workers’ organizations .......................................... 4 3.3 Increasing the effectiveness of labour administration and the implementation of labour law........ 6 3.4 Supporting social dialogue and sound industrial relations .............................................................. 7 3.5 Social dialogue and sector-specific approaches to decent work .................................................... 8 3.6 Cooperation with other international organizations .......................................................................... 9 3.7 Regional integration ......................................................................................................................... 10 4. What works and why in social dialogue interventions: Synthesis of results ............................................. 11 4.1 Key findings related to the design and implementation of interventions ....................................... 11 4.1.1 Realistic project objectives, time frames, and scope are crucial to success ............................ 12 4.1.2 Inadequate human resources are major obstacles ................................................................... 13 4.1.3 Cooperative strategies lead to improved resource mobilization ............................................... 14 4.1.4 Involving stakeholders and social partners at all stages fosters results ................................... 14 4.1.5 Partnerships and cooperation lead to synergies and sustainable outcomes ........................... 16 4.2 The influence of politics and economics ......................................................................................... 17 4.3 Building the capacity of social partners .......................................................................................... 19 4.3.1 Using integrative approaches...................................................................................................... 20 4.3.2 Engaging social partners in the informal economy .................................................................... 23 4.4 Strengthening and modernizing labour laws .................................................................................. 24 4.4.1 Efficient labour administration contributes to the promotion of decent work ............................ 25 4.5 Social dialogue as an instrument to promote the Decent Work Agenda ...................................... 26 4.5.1 Fighting child labour ..................................................................................................................... 26 4.5.2 HIV/AIDS in the workplace .......................................................................................................... 27 4.5.3 Occupational safety and health ................................................................................................... 28 4.5.4 Social security .............................................................................................................................. 28 4.5.5 Migrant workers and trafficking ................................................................................................... 29 4.6 Promoting gender equality and gender mainstreaming through social dialogue ......................... 30 4.7 Summarizing what works and why ................................................................................................. 31 5. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 32 6. Recommendations arising from this study ................................................................................................. 33 7. Literature selected for the in-depth synthesis review ................................................................................