The Social Construction of Free Trade

by Duina, Francesco

• ISBN13: 9780691133782
• ISBN10: 0691133786
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-08-06
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

This book offers a compelling new interpretation of the proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) at the end of the twentieth century. Challenging the widespread assumption that RTAs should be seen as fundamentally similar economic initiatives to pursue free trade, Francesco Duina proposes that the world is reorganizing itself into regions that are highly distinctive and enduring. With evidence from Europe, North America, and South America, he challenges our understanding of globalization, the nature of markets, and the spread of neoliberalism. The pursuit of free trade is a profoundly social process and, as such, a unique endeavor wherever it takes place. In an unprecedented comparative analysis, the book offers striking evidence of differences in the legal architectures erected to standardize the worldview of market participants and the reaction of key societal organizations--interest groups, businesses, and national administrations--to a broader marketplace. The author gives special attention to developments in three key areas of economic life: women in the workplace, the dairy industry, and labor rights. With its bold and original approach and its impressive range of data,The Social Construction of Free Traderepresents a major advance in the growing fields of economic sociology and comparative regional integration.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. ix
A Note on Translations	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Abbreviations	p. xvii
Introduction and Theoretical Framework
Visions of Free Trade	p. 3
Institutions, Politics, and the Making of Regional Markets	p. 29
The Evolution of Law and Society in the EU, Mercosur, and NAFTA
The Use of Regional Law to Standardize Reality	p. 63
The Targets and Content of Regional Law	p. 101
Societal Adjustments to Integration	p. 148
Conclusion
Reflections on the Present and Future	p. 185
Appendix	p. 211
References	p. 217
Index	p. 241
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