The Markets, Power And Politics Of World Trade
International trade can be a difficult topic to discuss in the abstract, but when it is focused on a single product that makes its way around the world over the course of its usefulness, the unwieldy issue of globalization is made vividly clear. In The Travels of a TShirt in the Global Economy, business professor Pietra Rivoli explores the politics and the human element behind the globalization debate by tracking the life story of her $6 T-shirt.
Starting in a West Texas cotton field, her T-shirt is brought to life in a Chinese factory; negotiated in Washington, DC; sold in a Walgreen 's drugstore in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.; and eventually makes its way to a used clothing market in Africa. Through the story of her T-shirt, Rivoli shows how the advocates and critics of globalization often oversimplify the issues behind international trade.
People, Politics and Markets
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Over the next several years, Rivoli traveled thousands of miles and across three continents to investigate the truth behind the allegations made by the young activist. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy describes the people, politics and markets that created her own cotton T-shirt, and reveals the complex story of globalization in the process. Rivoli explains that she wrote her book not to convey morals but to discover them, and simply see where the story of her T-shirt
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.
The book “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, by Pietra Rivoli tries to uncover the challenges faced by the global market in the cotton industry. The author found out that although the U.S dominates the cotton industry globally, all the credit behind her T-shirt went to a Chinese factory, which tagged it “Made in China” (Rivoli 6). In her book, Pietra tries to inform the public that politics play a huge role in ensuring that the cotton industry in the U.S remains relevant and steady in the global market. The author is of the opinion that poor politics and imbalances in power may lead to damages in the future economy (Rivoli 5).
Bentley, J., & Ziegler, H. (2008). Trade and encounters a global perspective on the past. (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 182-401). New York: McGraw-Hill.
When a Georgetown business professor picks up a clearance t-shirt and embarks on a journey around the globe, a world of international trade and globalization is unlocked. Author Pietra Rivoli is a longtime professor with specialized knowledge in international business, finance, and social issues. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy documents the process in which a t-shirt is made: from cotton production and manufacturing to entering and reentering the market.
4."Globalization in Everyday Life." Beyond Borders: Thinking Critically About Global Issues. New York: Worth, 2006. 471-571. Print.
Lyon, Sarah, and Mark Moberg. 2010. Fair Trade and Social Justice: Global Ethnographies. New York and London: New York University.
Technological advancements due to new innovative and creative ideas have furthered the world and society to levels that would otherwise be unimaginable. Although many problems have been solved, new ones have emerged. In recent times, overseas factories have been a much-debated controversy on the issue of exploitation of workers. The majority of the products we own like our hats, shoes, and shirts are made entirely in a different country. Countries like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia have factories filled with employees working long hours for not even half the amount Americans get paid for minimum wage. International factories that produce clothing for well-known brands like Nike and Adidas have earned the name “sweatshops”, due to the conditions and the low wages that workers get paid. The term sweatshops have been popularized through the media as exploiting workers in factories where they are underpaid
Overtime, as shown through the shift from Fordist to Post-Fordist ideals for production, it takes long period of time to mix people and nations closer together. This is being done through technological innovation, as technology is helping to dissolve former barriers of time and distance. Factories that used to dominate the United States have now spread throughout the world, providing jobs for people globally. Consumers are also on an international level, as there is a greater awareness and understanding of what is happening everywhere. Globalization, however, also produces economic and social disorders while producing public concerns over job security, the distribution of economic gains, and the impact of instability on people. Many people also worry about a growing focus of economic power, harm to the environment, danger to public health and safety, the breakup of native cultures, and the loss of power and responsibility within government. I believe that as a global citizen, I have to look at all perspectives from people in different situations and realization how current times have come to be. I am a part of an entire world community and all my actions, although in a miniscule amount, contribute to building the world’s community values and practices. By living in the United States and attending UW Madison, I
Today, scholars often study globalization; the term that describes a modern phenomenon of interconnected trade, global markets, and high-speed exchanges of culture. Globalization began after World War II, though began at modern rates after the fall of the USSR and the end of the Cold War (What). However, is globalization truly a modern invention? Many today argue no; that globalization began thousands of years ago. The Silk Road, the famous network of trade roads that ran from China to Europe, was the first truly global exchange (What). These trails spread thousands of miles, through new lands and with new people, and ended in faraway nations first believed to be on the edge of fantasy. In this paper the author argues that the Silk Road began
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.
1. We live in a world where nothing is sacred if selling it can make a buck. Be it “tourist” indigenous memorabilia or your own “extra” kidney, you can bet there’s a viable market, and someone’s willing to buy. Given the fantastic stealth of international transactions, globalized markets evoke particularly ominous possibilities for the marginalized in our capitalistic economy. Exposing obscure global issues from “tourist” art to bio-piracy, Schneider and Scheper-Hughes complicate our understanding of globalization by questioning one’s responsibility to the agency of others in an increasingly interrelated world.
McNally, D. (2006). Another World Is Possible: Globalization & Anti-Capitalism . Winnipeg, Canada: Arbeiter Ring Publishing.
For the first time, causing many to wonder, “What is globalization exactly, and why are the protesters so against it? “ “What are the mysterious institutions the WTO, the IMF, and the Bank- that the media keep? “ “And what could be so problematic about free
...o we can achieve our dreams in life: “we are now living in a world where time and space don’t matter anymore” just like J.Mittleman said. Globalization as we just learned is relative, whether it’s an opportunity or an exploitation depends on where you sit and how you look at the world. Kent, J., Kinetz, E. & Whehrfritz, G. Newsweek. Bottom of the barrel. - The dark side of globalization (2008/March24). David, P. Falling of The Edge, Travels through the Dark Heart of Globalization..Nov 2008. (p62)
Larsson, Thomas. The Race to the Top: The Real Story of Globalization. Cato Institute, 2001.