the shortterm forces are related to the business cycle as explained by conventional keynesian theory in the long term the potential income of the poor is determined by the growth rate of the economy the elasticity of employment with respect to output growth and the quality of employment quality of employment refers not only to the returns to labour but also to a host of attributes of work that are subsumed under the notion of labour standards and the decent work criteria set by the international labour organization ilo including for example protection against unfair dismissal health and safety standards at work the length of the working day the right of workers to organize and engage in collective bargaining with employers and the scope for the workers to participate in decisionmaking processes