How Deliberate Ambiguity Built One of the World’s Most Successful Worker Safety Initiatives

In their article, ‘From Constructive Ambiguity to Escalating Commitment: The Evolution of the Bangladesh Accord as a Transnational Institution for Collective Action’ in Administrative Science Quarterly, Juliane Reinecke and Jimmy Donaghey uncover how strategic ambiguity in international agreements can paradoxically strengthen rather than weaken collective action. Their eight-year study of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety demonstrates how deliberately vague language that initially enables difficult negotiations can evolve into robust, expanding commitments that exceed original expectations. 

Tune in for a summary of their key findings.