Everyday across the world, people wake up in the morning and get ready for the day, they look in their closet and think for a second about what to wear, but has anyone ever stopped to think about where their t-shirt came from. The author of “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy” Pietra Rivoli has pondered over that question and in order to thoroughly answer it, she traveled across the world to track down where her t-shirt came from and the life it had before it came into her hands at a local convenient store. In this well thought out book, she discusses a wide range of information regarding the production of cotton which resulted to the teaching of economics and key terms associated with it. By beginning her book with a thesis, …show more content…
All three principles were taught in the beginning of the ear when the class learned about the economics way of reasoning. The three principles are: people gain when they trade, choices have consequence in the future, and every choice has a benefit. The most predominant one is that people gain when they trade and it can be seen throughout the whole book; however, a great example is located on page 162 when stated that because of cotton trading it could have resulted to an economical gain in 1996 of over ten billion dollars if the government decreased the number of American textile industries and instead traded internationally (Rivoli). Second, every choice has a consequence in the future and on page 202 it is explained how clothes that are donated get taken to other countries to be sold and these companies receive an incredible large profit by selling donated clothing, “if Americans only knew what they wrought by throwing away their clothing, fewer people would be lined up outside the Salvation Army trucks” (Rivoli). Finally, every choice has a benefit and providing subsidies has definitely helped America grow in the cotton production, “the primary effect on U.S. government subsidies is to increase the supply of cotton grown in the United States and therefore decrease the world market price of cotton” (Rivoli 51). This book did not just teach about economic principles, but also economic key terms as
Pietra Rivoli uses a random T-shirt she brought from Lubbock, West Texas while she was on vacation to contribute her story about globalization of world trade, especially in the textile and appareled industry. The story begin in Lubbock, West Texas when she described as "cotton city" because there were almost lunar nothingness. She discovered the foundation of the cotton, especially with the process of the seed which gave the cotton farmer some challenges. The stage is a story that is determined mainly by manual labour, and it reduces collision and technology on the other hand. It led the United States not only the world's major cotton producer, but it has been strongly supported by worst-case and public subsidies guarantees. The government
Industrialization, as it did in other countries, caused the formation of factories and machines that sped up how much cotton products are produced. In document 6, Radhakamal Mukerjee, an Indian economist, says “there has been a rapid decline of the hand-woven cloth industry…on account of the competition of machine manufactures…though many wear
The movement of goods, people, and wealth in the late 17th and 18th centuries permanently changed societies across the continents of Europe, Africa, and North and South America, thereby increasing the reach of globalization in the modern age. Most influential to this movement was what is sometimes referred to as “The Atlantic Circuit”, a triangle of trade between Western Europe, western Africa, and the West Indies. Out of this circuit came the rapid growth of the Atlantic slave trade, which not only established multiple industries of agriculture, but significantly changed the economies of all countries involved. The agriculture industries, in combination with further colonization transformed the land of the Americas, and the impacted diets across the world. Capitalist systems and mercantilist policies provided structure to trade, and allowed both private investors and nations to profit from it. These systems laid the foundation for future economies by creating new levels of power and interaction between the private and public sectors and, in the process, generating many successes and failures.
In the article, “Haiti doesn’t need your old T-shirts,” Charles Kenny explains why donating old clothes or food to countries in need doesn’t help those countries, but rather hurts their own economy. Charles Kenny is a developmental economist and has written a plethora of journal and magazine articles, books, and blog posts. Kenny is able to inform and influence his audience by including examples of the problem, people of authority, and a solution to the problem he writes about in his article.
Each day, millions of people of all ages in developing countries suffer in factories all over the world while making the clothes that we buy and wear everyday.
Global Trade of Secondhand Clothing. Just as it sounds, when you donate your clothing charities the donate and sell that clothing to other countries. According to the BBC, more than 70% of reused clothing from the UK ends up overseas and becomes part of the Global Secondhand Clothing Trade (Rodgers,2015). Where does this trade start? It start off charities in the US,UK, Canada,etc. when companies cannot find buyers for donated and unwanted clothing. Then unwanted clothing may find its way to landfills or purchased by wholesalers who export to other countries (Kermeliotis,2013). Finally, the second hand clothing makes its way to markets in Sub Saharan African countries. Oxfam reported that used clothing makes up 50% of the clothing sector of Sub saharan Africa (Kermeliotis,2013). Is the global clothing trade really …...buying the old ratty clothing that we no longer want. Clothing also travels illegally, is smuggled into countries and not documented. Taxing is another thing, since it isn’t a set person setting a price for the items who do you determine the tax on the clothing. After colonialism ended in Africa there was a plan for Africa to produce and sell their own clothing, but in 1980s and the 1990s the industry declined and the import of secondhand clothing increased (Brooks,2015). Since then, other countries and Africa have become more dependent on the importing of used clothing. It may not sound like it is a bad thing,
In The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, business professor Pietra Rivoli takes the reader on a fascinating around-the-world adventure to reveal the life story of her six-dollar T-shirt. Traveling from a West Texas cotton field to a Chinese factory, and from trade negotiations in Washington to a used clothing market in Africa, Rivoli examines international trade through the life story of this simple product. Her compelling story shows that both globalization's critics and its supporters have oversimplified the world of international trade.
In his books Where Am I Wearing? and Where Am I Eating?, Kelsey Timmerman humanizes the issues of globalization and provokes readers be informed about the origins of their products. By traveling the world and telling the stories of the people he meets, Timmerman is able to enlighten his readers and intiate communication about how to improve our world economy.
Globalization and industrialization contribute to the existence of sweatshops, which are where garments are made cheaply, because they are moving production and consumption of those cheap goods. Industrialization has enabled for global distribution, to exchange those goods around the world. They can also set apart the circumstances of consumption and production, which Western countries as mass consumers, are protected from of producers in less developed countries. These factories are usually located in less developed countries and face worker exploitation and changes in social structures. Technological innovation allows for machines to take the place of workers and do all the dirty work instead of workers doing hours of hard work by hand.
The practice of trading and bartering of commodities has been around since the beginning of time. The concept of commodity chains was developed by Terence Hopkins and Immanuel Wallerstein in an attempt to understand the spread of capitalism and economic change. (Bair & Werner, 2011) The emergence of capitalism has brought about an anthropogenic phenomenon know as globalization as a means to create profit and in doing so altered competitive dynamics (Gereffi 1999). Globalisation of economies has lead to the construction of chains of production, distribution and consumption transcending borders across the world. Gereffi (1994) identified these chains as Global Commodity Chains, using them as a method to analyze the global economy.
While the price of cotton textiles decreased by 90%, the output had grown to cover the demand at affordable prices. Now, cotton will be gotten from Brazil, Egypt, southern United Sates and all this meant a...
Milberg, Wand Heilbroner, R.L (2009). The Making of Economic Society. 12th ed. US: Pearson International Edition . 54-62
The behavior of an economy is reflected in the behavior or nature of the individuals and firms that make up the economy. So by studying how the individuals and firms act we can be able to understand the economy. We begin our study of free trade by understanding the four principles of individual decision making.
Sustainable fashion offers various benefits to both the consumer and the entire environment. For instance, it is noted that the entire process of sustainable fashion is worthy for the globe. In most cases, the fashion industry leaves behind a huge environmental imprint ranging from the pesticides in growing cotton to the landfill impact of clothes that wear out and the energy needed to manufacture every piece. Therefore, deciding on organic fibers or sustainable fabrics made from bamboo can also reduce the quantity of carbon emitted and chemicals brought into people`s lives. This shows how sustainable fashion if embraced can bring benefits to the consumer, the producer, and to the environment, which is very vital for future generations. Selecting clothes that contain the label “fair trade act,” during purchase emphasizes on sustainability in numerous ways. The first thing is that, it guarantees that the product was produced under safe working conditions. Further, it signifies that the person who produced it earned a fair wage since it is sweatshop free (Hethorn 123). The act of purchasing clothes considered as “fair trade” confirms that individuals and places mean more than the organization`s fundamental reason for its
Sullivan, A., & Steven M., (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey : Pearson Prentice Hal