The Travels Of A T-Shirt In The Global Economy

by Pietra Rivoli

• ISBN13: 9780471648499
• ISBN10: 0471648493
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-01
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

Praise for THE TRAVELS OF A T-SHIRT IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY "Pietra Rivoli has accomplished the nearly impossible. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy bursts with life and color, humor and drama. At the same time, it is solidly grounded in theory, fact, and a nuanced insight into political economy." -Charles S. Pearson, Director and Professor of International EconomicsThe Johns Hopkins University, author of United States Trade Policy: A Work in Progress "Part travelogue, part history, and part economics, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy is ALL storytelling, and in the grand style. Globalization critics who read this book will understand why it is impossible to lift countries out of poverty without the power of free markets, while policymakers will learn the equally bracing lesson that economic progress for the wealthiest of nations means nothing without the democratic political institutions that uplift the poorest of nations. A must-read." -Peter J. Dougherty, Senior Economics Editor, Princeton University Press, author of Who2s Afraid of Adam Smith? "Professor Rivoli puts a human face on a subject that is often described as arcane and something only worthy of study by policy wonks. She captures the politics, personalities, and policy considerations that shape U.S. trade policy and vividly describes how special interests influence who wins and who loses from global competition." -Former Ambassador Ronald J. Sorini, President, Trade Negotiations and Legislative AffairsSandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. "This book is unlike any text in International Economics 101. It2s totally entertaining and without those dreadful equations. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy tells the drama of globalization through real people and their daily lives. Rivoli recounts the trials of winners and losers on three continents. From a fascinating journey, she distills economic and political lessons that just make good sense." -Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Reginald Jones Senior FellowInstitute for International Economics, Washington, D.C. "Rivoli weaves together the stories of individuals, companies, and countries in the textiles and apparel industries to reveal a globalization that is empowering as well as entangling, and more surprising than we ever imagined." -H. Richard Friman, Eliot Fitch Professor of International Studies, Marquette University author of Patchwork Protectionism

Author Biography

PIETRA RIVOLI, PHD, is Associate Professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, where she specializes in international business, finance, and social issues in business. She is the author of International Business and has been published in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Business Ethics, Business Ethics Quarterly, and the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking.

Table of Contents

Preface: How Student Protests Sent A Business Professor Around the World.

Prologue: I Find My T-Shirt’s Birthplace.

PART I: KING COTTON: HOW AMERICA HAS DOMINATED THE GLOBAL COTTON INDUSTRY FOR 200 YEARS.                                       

Chapter 1.  Reinsch Cotton Farm, Smyer Texas.

Chapter 2. The History of American Cotton:  Winning By Ducking the Labor Market.                       

Chapter 3. Back at the Farm: All God’s Dangers Ain’t the Subsidies.

PART II: MADE IN CHINA.

Chapter 4. Cotton Comes to China .

Chapter 5. Sisters in Time: From the Farm to the Sweatshop.

PART III: TROUBLE AT THE BORDER: MY T-SHIRT RETURNS TO AMERICA.

Chapter  6.  Dogs Snarling Together: How Politics Came to Rule the Global Apparel Trade.

Chapter 7. Perverse Effects and  Unintended Consequences of T-Shirt Trade Policy.

Chapter 8. 40 Years of “Temporary” Protectionism Ends in 2005--And China Takes All the Jobs.

PART IV: MY T-SHIRT FINALLY ENCOUNTERS A FREE MARKET: THE GLOBAL TRADE IN CAST-OFF CLOTHING.

Chapter 9.  Where T-Shirts Go After the Salvation Army Bin: Japan, Poland, Tanzania, and the Rag Factory.

Chapter 10. How Small Entrepreneurs Clothe East Africa with Old American T-Shirts.

Conclusion.

Acknowledgements.

Bibliography.