Abstract
Workplaces and companies or related organizations are the primary focus of mainstream research on working conditions and health. Yet, these conditions are embedded in macro-social, economic and political structures that need to be taken into account when activities towards improving healthy work and employment are developed. This chapter describes different distal entry points for such activities, with a special focus on national labour and social policies. Results from cross-country comparative studies demonstrate a strong association between the amount of national investments in integrative and protective labour policies and the quality of work and employment in the respective workforce. In view of a substantial burden of work-related diseases in times of economic globalization additional efforts are needed to strengthen effective supranational regulation in order to ensure basic human rights at work internationally. Therefore, in its final part, the chapter highlights recommendations that were declared to this end by influential international organizations.
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Marmot, M., Siegrist, J. (2016). Challenges of National and International Policies. In: Siegrist, J., Wahrendorf, M. (eds) Work Stress and Health in a Globalized Economy. Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32937-6_16
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