Structural Coercion and Sweatshop Exploitation

ABSTRACT: Sweatshop labor typically arises within coercive labor markets, where workers face severe restrictions on choice, limited bargaining power, and systemic barriers to collective action. Such environments undermine the voluntariness of labor exchange and create conditions ripe for exploitation. This article develops a normative account of exploitation that focuses on taking unfair advantage of vulnerability, even when corporations do not directly cause workers' deprivation. It proposes a framework for ethical corporate conduct grounded in respect for human rights, fair compensation, and worker autonomy. The analysis demonstrates how corporations can transform structurally coercive labor arrangements into relationships of fairness and mutual respect.