In Defense Of Globalization – Jaddish Bhagwati

If I smoke, I will hurt those around me in New York, so Mayor Michael Bloomberg has to deal with this domestic pollution issue; but if I use aerosol cans and help destroy the ozone layer, I imperil the earth and therefore all others multilaterally. In technical jargon, global (whether bilateral or multilateral) pollution spillovers require that they be paid for through appropriate taxes or regulations. These policies generally call for international cooperation, since no one jurisdiction can normally take the required action.

But that is obviously not true for domestic pollution phenomena. You would think that the issue of what India does with her purely domestic environmental pollution is one for the Indian democracy to resolve. That was precisely what I argued earlier.257 This would also be the case for the public debate in the United States on whether drilling for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be permitted.

In fact, the environmental groups and the oil lobbies, with their respective allies among the NGOs and among politicians and the media, are fighting it out over this issue. As a citizen of the United States, I weigh in on the side of the environmentalists and am rooting for them to win. Few Americans would, however, tolerate foreign groups, whether oil firms or the Greens, actively intruding into the politics of this debate; therefore hardly any foreign lobby intrudes.

Yet, ironically, it is precisely in these domestic pollution matters that much of the current agitation against trade’s adverse effects is centered. In fact, the assertion is that if India chooses to adopt lower pollution tax rates in an industry than the United States does, then the resulting competition is “unfair” to American producers in that industry. If such unfair competition is allowed, then American industry will be destroyed. Or else the result will be political pressures to reduce the American standards, to “save jobs,” to “level the playing field,” leading to the race to the bottom that was discussed and discounted in the previous chapter in regard to the possible erosion of labor standards.

Either way, the outcome would be undesirable. In fact, a number of environmentalists have argued that such unfair competition amounts to “social dumping” and must be countervailed through trade protection. David Boren, who during his time in the U.S.

Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. © 2004, 2007 by Jagdish Bhagwati First published in 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Bhagwati, Jagdish N., 1934– In defense of globalization / Jagdish Bhagwati. p. cm. “A Council on Foreign Relations Book.” Includes index. 1. Globalization—Economic aspects. 2. Globalization—Social aspects. 3. Anti-globalization movement. I. Title. The Council on Foreign Relations is dedicated to increasing America’s understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S.

foreign policy. The Council accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive debates and discussions, clarifying world issues, and publishing Foreign Affairs, the leading journal on global issues. The Council is host to the widest possible range of views, but an advocate of none, though its research fellows and Independent Task Forces do take policy positions. From time to time, books and reports written by members of the Council’s research staff or others are published as a “Council on Foreign Relations Book.” the council takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with the u.s.

government. all statements of fact and expressions of opinion contained in all its publications are the sole responsibility of the author or authors. OceanofPDF.com For Padma & Anuradha for affection and indulgence OceanofPDF.com Contents Preface I – Coping with Anti-Globalization 1 Anti-Globalization: Why? 2 Globalization: Socially, Not Just Economically, Benign 3 Globalization Is Good but Not Good Enough 4 Non-Governmental Organizations II Globalization’s Human Face: Trade and Corporations 5 Poverty: Enhanced or Diminished? 6 Child Labor: Increased or Reduced? 7 Women: Harmed or Helped?

8 Democracy at Bay? 9 Culture Imperiled or Enriched? 10 Wages and Labor Standards at Stake? 11 Environment in Peril? 12 Corporations: Predatory or Beneficial?

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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