dr. LJ (Lee) Pegler

Biography

Lee Pegler works as a lecturer (Work, Organisation and Labour Rights) within the Social Policy for Development (SPD) Major at the ISS.

He spent a large proportion of his early career working as an economic advisor to the Australian Labour Movement and various labour governments in that country. Following an intense interest in developing countries, more recent times have seen him researching and publishing on the labour/Industrial Relations implications of “new” management strategies (Human Resource Management – HRM; Corporate Social Responsibility - CSR) of TNCs in Brazil and Latin America in general.

This interest has expanded to a broader focus on the implications of value chain insertion on labour/industrial relations, both for formal and informal workers, in countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam. Trained as both an economist and sociologist (holding a PhD from the LSE), one of his activities has involved the joint convenorship of a national, CERES, cross institution network on “Value Chains, Local Economic Development and Social Inclusion”. Recent project work includes consultancies on Decent Work in Global Food Chains (for the ILO) and on cluster and social inclusion promotion in Pernambuco, Brazil (for the World Bank).

Most recently he has developed and coordinates an international project (GOLLS) concerning sustainable value chains - one which links ports, logistics and advanced services(in the Netherlands) with production, employment, livelihoods and development questions in Brazil. Alongside its contribution to the literature, this original and integrated project has significant policy implications for Government, civil society and companies concerning (Corporate) Social Responsibility and sustainability within and across value chains. Such experience has led to Pegler's involvement in exercises to develop responsible chain diagnostics, for agencies such as the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.