Alternatives to Economic Globalization

by CAVANAUGH, JOHN

• ISBN13: 9781576752043
• ISBN10: 1576752046
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2002-11-03
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

Written by a premier group of thinkers from around the world, Alternatives to Economic Globalization is the defining document of the antiglobalization movement. It presents both a sober critique of globalization as well as practical, thoughtful alternatives.The authors assert ten core requirements for democratic societies, including equality, basic human rights, local decision making, and ecological sustainability, and demonstrate how globalization undermines each. Offering specific strategies for reining in corporate domination, they address alternative systems for energy, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing; ideas for weakening or dismantling the WTO, World Bank, and IMF; and rebuilding economies that are responsive to human needs.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Global Resistance	p. 2
Different Worlds	p. 4
Economic Democracy	p. 8
Momentum for Change	p. 11
Commentary--Conflicting Paradigms	p. 13
IFG Alternatives Process	p. 15
A Critique of Corporate Globalization	p. 17
Key Ingredients of the Globalization Model	p. 19
Public Interest Laws as "Impediments" to Free Trade	p. 20
Intrinsic Environmental Consequences of Trade-Related	p. 28
Global Economic Apartheid	p. 33
Bureaucratic Expressions of Economic Globalization	p. 37
Argentina and the IMF	p. 43
The Hypocrisy of the North in the WTO	p. 49
Ten Principles for Sustainable Societies	p. 54
Ten Core Principles for Sustainable Societies	p. 56
New Democracy	p. 56
Citizens' Agenda in Canada	p. 57
Subsidiarity	p. 60
Ecological Sustainability	p. 61
Sustainable Chile	p. 62
Common Heritage	p. 63
Diversity	p. 64
Cultural Diversity: The Right of Indigenous Peoples to Remain Different and Diverse	p. 65
Cultural Diversity: The Right of Nations to Resist Cultural Homogenization	p. 69
Human Rights	p. 72
Jobs, Livelihood, Employment	p. 73
Food Security and Safety	p. 74
Equity	p. 74
The Precautionary Principle	p. 76
Applying the Principles to Globalization	p. 77
The Commons: What Should Be Off-Limits to Globalization?	p. 79
Understanding the Commons	p. 81
Current Threats to the Commons	p. 83
From Commons to Corporate Patents on Life	p. 87
The Tradition of the Commons	p. 91
Threats to the Modern Commons	p. 97
Proposals	p. 102
The Case for Subsidiarity: Bias Away From the Global Toward the Local	p. 105
Understanding Subsidiarity	p. 107
The Road to the Local	p. 109
Investment and Finance Issues	p. 113
Response to Critics of Subsidiarity	p. 117
Conclusion	p. 120
Corporate Structure and Power	p. 121
Corporate Structure Today	p. 124
Citizen Actions Against Corporate Power	p. 130
Ending Corporate-State Collusion	p. 140
Toward Alternative Business Structures	p. 144
Alternative Operating Systems	p. 151
Energy Systems	p. 152
Transportation Systems	p. 163
Curitiba, An Ecological City	p. 170
Agriculture and Food Systems	p. 172
Cuban Organic Agriculture	p. 186
Manufacturing Systems	p. 187
Measurements of Economic Progress	p. 197
From Bretton Woods to Alternatives	p. 208
A Review of the Current Situation	p. 209
Unemployment, The Role of Monetary Policy	p. 211
Essential Rules of a Just and Sustainable International Trade and Finance System	p. 216
Restructuring the Institutional Framework	p. 221
Strengthening the Countervailing Powers of the U.N. System	p. 228
Creating New Global Institutions	p. 231
Conclusions	p. 239
Sources	p. 243
The Drafters	p. 253
Index	p. 257
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.