The Globalization Paradox Summary

“The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy” by: Dani Rodrik Book Review

By: Juan J. Guzman

It has been the common trend for prominent economist, political figures and business elite to praise Globalization for the good that it does to the world, and that there should be a push to knock down boundaries and allow globalization to increase for the betterment of the world as a whole. Their stance has been adopted as the norm and recently anyone who disagrees with their view is labeled as a protectionist or ignorant. But is globalization really a good thing? Does everyone benefit from globalization equally? And is globalization as great as everyone makes it out to be? In “The globalization Paradox” Dani Rodrik

In addition to these substantive limitations to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Rodrik states that their enforcement rule was “a joke” and that the requirements it had were “patently unenforceable” (pg. 72-74). Due to this, any essential requirements were of limited effectiveness. While majority of people considered these characteristics from the agreement to be things that needed to be corrected, Rodrik favors them, and thinks of them as positives. He indicates that these characteristics are what made the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade “successful” to its ability “to achieve the maximum amount of trade compatible with different nations doing their own thing,” by, keeping intrusions into domestic affairs to a minimum (pg. 75). On the other hand, he argues that the World Trade Organization is trying to reach “hyperglobalization,” with the rules that it is now enforcing to the sectors that used to be excluded, and to areas like health and safety rules, subsides and intellectual property. Rodrik, states that while the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade cases were primarily about tariffs and quotas, the World Trade Organization disputes, “reach into domestic areas that