A governance deficit in the apparel industry in Bangladesh: Solutions to the impasse?

The rapid growth of Bangladesh’s apparel industry has been facilitated by the emergence of global value chains (GVCs) connecting local suppliers with global buyers. The growth of the industry, however, has occurred without the parallel development of supportive institutions resulting in a governance deficit highlighted, in part, by ongoing disasters in which workers have been killed or injured. Building on the GVCs governance literature, this chapter discusses the need for public, private and social governance actors to work together to
address the governance deficit in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse. The chapter highlights the limitations inherent with one form of governance seeking to tackle problems in the industry and concludes that a mix of the three types of governance is needed.