Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

Monday (10/07). In the 2023 Global Summer Week (GSW) series, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), Dr. Anita Alves Pena, professor of Economics and Environmental Health and Employment at Colorado State University (CSU) and Colorado School of Public Health, presents research that focuses on the intersections of labor economics, health, and occupational safety in the agricultural sector, with particular emphasis on immigrant agricultural workers in the United States (US). In her research, Anita explores the production decisions of companies that consider labor, materials and capital as inputs and how they affect production, which minimizes costs. In addition, she also discusses the implications of ethics in occupational health and safety, especially in manufacturing factories that employ workers with poor working conditions around the world.

In her study, Dr. Pena analyzes the health and safety vulnerabilities immigrant farm workers face in the US. These vulnerabilities include challenges related to field sanitation, access to clean water, and primary workers' rights. The COVID-19 pandemic has also seen far-reaching impacts on workers' health and safety, such as disruptions in the food supply chain and increased vulnerability.

Data analysis using the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) found that older agricultural workers with better access to health care have higher risk levels of COVID-19, such as diabetes, asthma and heart disease. Limitations in field sanitation and housing quality further exacerbate the risk of COVID-19 transmission among agricultural workers. These findings emphasize the importance of worker protection to minimize long-term public health costs. Improved field sanitation and social distancing measures at work and residential locations can reduce health and economic risks. Targeted policies can address demographic and job-related characteristics associated with high risk and provide specific guidance for at-risk workers.

This study also highlights the importance of agricultural supply chain analysis, which includes the entire production and delivery process of products or services. Understanding the complexity and dependencies in the supply chain is crucial to addressing occupational health and safety issues effectively.

Dr. Anita Pena also discussed the ethical issue of social inequality in Sweatshops. She opened a discussion session about business ethics in sweatshops, especially in the context of developing countries, namely Bangladesh and Vietnam, which are usually used as factories by multinational Sweatshop companies. She invited students to apply the principles of labor economics, business ethics, labor law, socioeconomic equality and the Gini ratio in analyzing the ethics of the Sweatshop. Then, the students sponsored the discussion session enthusiastically, and some of them got the opportunity to present the results of their discussions.

Reportage: Hayfaza Nayottama 
Watch the full vifeo at https://youtu.be/u5iXATECW1g