> Shouldn't we mandate US-like living conditions and safety regulations if we are going to ethically export labor? To make that mandate at the beginning is sim

> Shouldn't we mandate US-like living conditions and safety regulations if we are going to ethically export labor? To make that mandate at the beginning is simply to decide not to export labour, since the trade can't happen if you apply those conditions from the outset. That's worse for everybody: your t-shirt costs more, and the worker in Cambodia or Bangladesh goes back to subsistence farming. The present system of international trade has delivered a marked improvement in living conditions for labour-exporting countries. It's always worthwhile to talk about how to make further improvement happen faster, but mandates aren't the solution — to pretend economic realities don't exist doesn't make them go away.