Workers, Robots, and International Political Economics

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

This panel investigates how various forces in the landscape of international political economics, such as globalization, automation, and international regularization, shape outcomes in the labor market. It synthesizes insights from diverse studies, revealing a complex landscape where advancements in large language models, like ChatGPT, affect skilled workers' attitudes towards the use of AI in the workplace, cosmopolitanism, and support for redistribution. It underscores the effectiveness of international organizations, such as the ILO, in influencing domestic labor rights through strategic monitoring, despite limited enforcement capabilities. Additionally, the panel addresses the political economy of economic dislocation and international competition, highlighting how politicians selectively address the impacts of, as well as how citizens motivate their attitudes towards, globalization and automation. We will discuss how technological advancements, international regulatory practices, and political strategies interact to shape the future of work and economic policies.

Sub Unit

• Division 16: International Political Economy

Individual Presentations

• Does Artificial Intelligence Reduce Cosmopolitanism? Evidence from ChatGPT - Carlos Felipe Balcazar, New York University

• Reporting Compliance: How Reporting Mechanisms in the ILO Shape Labor Rights - Ruofan Ma, Harvard University

• Economic Competition, US-China Rivalry, and Technological Attitudes - Nicole Wu, University of Hong Kong

• What If You See It? Workers’ Perceptions of and Reactions to LLMs - Aina Gallego, UB and IBEI; Italo Colantone, Bocconi University; Massimo Anelli, Bocconi University; Piero Stanig, Bocconi University

Chair

• Erica Owen University of Pittsburgh

Discussants

• John Stephen Ahlquist University of California, San Diego

• Stephen Weymouth Georgetown University