CSC: Sweet Talk: Paternalism and Collective Action in International Trade

Thursday, October 1, 2015 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Enterprise Hall, 318

The first CSC of the semester is happy to feature Dr. JP Singh, who teaches in Global Affairs and Cultural Studies.  He will discuss his new book about race and international trade, Sweet Talk: Paternalism and Collective Action in International Trade  (Stanford University Press, Forthcoming).  

 

Abstract:

Did the colonial masters switch from policies of domination and racism to those of liberal internationalist benevolence when they left the lands they occupied?  Paternalistic rhetoric provides a false sense that trade relations are governed through the North’s benevolence and empathy to the South’s development concerns.  However, this is conceptual and empirical nonsense. The North’s true position: either join in the type of trade deal that the developed countries offer, or be cast aside as obstreperous and unwilling. There have been gains made by the South. But, these result from hard-fought bargains, won in spite of the North’s strong front. This book explains the degree of trade reciprocity in North-South trade negotiations in terms of two suppositions: (1) Global North's paternalism is negatively related to reciprocity in trade concessions, and (2) Global South's negotiation strength is positively related to reciprocity.   The book provides evidence at three levels: (1) historical process tracing, (2) quantitative analysis, (3) granular case studies in issues such as sugar, textiles, and outsourcing controversies.