Global labor value chains, commodification, and the socioecological structure of severe exploitation. A case study of the Thai seafood sector

Abstract

We utilize perspectives in environmental sociology and political economy to examine relationships between human exploitation and ecological degradation. Specifically, we apply global labor value chains and the tragedy of the commodity to analyze severe labor exploitation in Thai capture fisheries. Our analysis suggests that severe labor exploitation has played a significant role in lowering the market value of the Thai seafood sector as an adaptation to a competitive marketplace driven by increasing commodification and a stressed marine ecosystem. Regarding ecologies, we detail how the degradation of marine ecosystems in the region stimulated increased demand for severe labor exploitation.