Economic expansion and normative dissonance in Peru’s agro-export labour regime: a legal-doctrinal scientific study

Peru’s export-oriented agricultural sector has expanded steadily, yet high informality, formal–informal income disparities and recurrent enforcement challenges persist. This study examines the degree of normative dissonance between the formal recognition and material effectiveness of labour rights under Peru’s export-oriented agricultural labour regime, particularly Law No. 31110. Using a qualitative, exploratory socio-legal design, it analyses legal norms, institutional reports, statistical evidence and academic literature from 2000 to 2025. The analysis considers normative design, institutional enforcement and material effectiveness, alongside a comparison with the general private labour regime. Findings indicate that Law No. 31110 formally preserves extensive individual and collective labour rights, while differences mainly concern the calculation, payment and application of specific benefits. Nevertheless, agricultural informality, income disparities and documented inspection interventions expose persistent obstacles to effective protection. Seasonality, productivity, firm heterogeneity, labour costs and enforcement capacity further influence regulatory outcomes. Normative dissonance thus stems not simply from regulatory differentiation, but from interactions between formal legal protection, institutional capacity and labour-market conditions. The study concludes that labour governance in export-oriented agriculture requires a balanced approach combining effective rights enforcement, formalisation, productivity enhancement and adaptation to the economic characteristics of agricultural production.