Global Dance: Factory Regimes, Asian Labour Standards and Corporate Restructuring

This chapter suggests that essentially corresponds to recent critiques of globalization. It shows, differences resided not so much in generational or ethnic factors, but rather in the character of the regulatory regime. The chapter also shows how the globalization of production realized an organic linkage between the democratic regulation regime in Australia and China's authoritarian regime that was to have a profound impact on the transformation of the production regime in Australia. In Australia, workers had the opportunity to advance their common interests through the existence of a democratic regime, whereas the youthful Chinese workers were controlled and restricted by an authoritarian labour regulation regime. The chapter seeks to advance the debate on the role of labour standards in the globalization process through analysing the impact of a Chinese factory on its Australian joint-venture partner.