Ethics and International Trade: A Tale of Many Connections
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36253/rifp-2603Keywords:
international trade, ethics, global market, production, consumptionAbstract
In recent decades a growing number of analytic political philosophers have started to pay attention to the ethics or morality of international economic integration. In this paper we offer an overview of the normative questions related to international trade. The paper has eight parts and focuses on these topics starting from a conceptual definition of trade: the legal, institutional and governance dimensions of international economic exchange and related ethical questions; the idea that trade has distributive effects within participating countries; the distinction between the ethics of production and consumption; two specific international markets, the market for natural resources and that for weapons.
Downloads
References
Acemoglu, Daron, Autor, David, Dorn, David, Hanson and Brendan Gordon Price. “Import Competition and the Great US Employment Sag of the 2000s.” Source: Journal of Labor Economics, 34, 1 (2016): S141-S198. University Chicago Press.
Asche, Helmut. Shallow and Deep Integration. In: Regional Integration, Trade and Industry in Africa. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. Springer, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75366-5_10
Autor, David H. Trade and labor markets: Lessons from China’s rise. IZA World of Labour, 2018.
Barry, Christian & Kate MacDonald. “Ethical Consumerism: A Defense of Market Vigilantism.” Philosophy and Public Affairs, 46 (2018): 293-322. https://doi.org/10.1111/papa.12124
Barry, Christian. and Sanjay G. Reddy. International Trade and Labor Standards. 1st ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.
Barry, Christian & Scott Wisor. “The Ethics of International Trade.” In The Handbook of Global Ethics. Edited by Moellendorf, Darrel & Heather Widdows. London: Routledge, 2014.
Barros, Laura & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso. “Systematic literature review on trade liberalization and sustainable development,” Sustainable Production and Consumption, 33 (2022): 921-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2022.08.012.
Bartels, Lorand. “Human Rights, Labour Standards, and Environmental Standards in CETA.” In Stefan Griller, Walter Obwexer, and Erich Vranes (eds), Mega-Regional Trade Agreements: CETA, TTIP, and TiSA: New Orientations for EU External Economic Relations (Oxford, 2017; online edn, Oxford Academic, 19 Oct. 2017), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198808893.003.0009
Beck, Valentin. “Theorizing Fairtrade from a Justice-Related Standpoint.” Global Justice: Theory Practice Rhetoric, 3 (2010):1-21.
Bown, Chad P. “Trade Policy Instruments over Time.” In Lisa L. Martin (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Political Economy of International Trade, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2015, 57-76 (chapter 4): https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports (last access: 25/07/2024)
Broecke, Stijn, Forti, Alessia and Marieke Vandeweyer. “The Effect Of Minimum Wages On Employment In Emerging Economies: A Survey And Meta-Analysis.” Oxford Development Studies, 45, 3 (2017): 366-91.
Chatterjee, Deen K. (ed.). The Ethics of Assistance: Morality and the Distant Needy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Christensen, James. “Weapons, Security, and Oppression: A Normative Study of International Arms Transfers.” The Journal of Political Philosophy, 23 (2015): 23-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopp.12045
Christensen, James. “Arming the Outlaws: On the Moral Limits of the Arms Trade.” Political Studies, 67, 1 (2019): 116-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321718754516
Coakley, Mathew & Michael Kates. “The Ethical and Economic Case for Sweatshop Regulation,” Journal of Business Ethics, 117, 3 (2013): 553-58.
Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Copeland, Brian R. and M. Scott Taylor. Trade and the Environment: Theory and Evidence. Princeton University Press, 2003.
Cullet, Philippe. “Patents and medicines: the relationship between TRIPS and the human right to health.” International Affairs, Volume 79, 1 (2003): 139-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.00299
de Bres, Helena. “Justice and International Trade.” Philosophy Compass, 11 (2016): 570-79. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12346.
Dietsch, Peter. Catching Capital: The Ethics of Tax Competition. New York, 2015; online edn, Oxford Academic, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190251512.001.0001.
Driskill, Robert. “Deconstructing The Argument for Free Trade: A Case Study of The Role of Economists In Policy Debates.” Economics and Philosophy 28, 1 (2012): 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266267112000090.
Fabre, Cécile. Economic Statecraft: Human Rights, Sanctions, and Conditionality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2018. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv253f8dz.
Føllesdal, Andreas. “Political Consumerism as Chance and Challenge, in Politics.” In Products and Markets: Exploring Political Consumerism Past and Presen. Edited by Michele Micheletti, Andreas Føllesdal, and Dietlind Stolle. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2004.
Garcia, Frank J. Consent and Trade: Trading Freely in a Global Market. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. ISBN 9781108473255.
Gregson, Nicky & Mike Crang. “From Waste to Resource: The Trade in Wastes and Global Recycling Economies.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 40, 1 (2015): 151-76.
Harvey, David. The Ways of the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Heath, Joseph. Ethics for Capitalists: A Systematic Approach to Business Ethics, Competition, and Market Failure. Altona, MB: FriesenPress, 2023.
Held, David & Pietro Maffettone. “The ethical aspects of international financial integration.” In Global Political Theory. Edited by David Held & Pietro Maffettone. Cambridge: Polity Press, 236-53, 2016.
Hoekman, Bernard M. & Michel M. Kostecki. The Political Economy of the World Trading System, Third Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Hussain, Waheed. “Is Ethical Consumerism an Impermissible Form of Vigilantism?” Philosophy & Public Affairs 40 (2012): 111-43.
IBIS World. Global Oil & Gas Exploration & Production – Market Size (2005–2029) Updated: September 29, 2023.
ICRC. Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed To Be Excessively Injurious or To Have Indiscriminate Effects. International Committee of the Red Cross, 2005.
James, Aaron. “A Theory of Fairness in Trade.” Moral Philosophy and Politics, 1, 2 (2014): 177-200. https://doi.org/10.1515/mopp-2014-0007
James, Aaron. Fairness in Practice. A Social Contract for a Global Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Kapstein, Ethan B. “Fairness Considerations in World Politics: Lessons from International Trade Negotiations.” Political Science Quarterly, 123, 2 (2008): 229-45. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20203010.
Kapstein, Ethan B. “Review of Winners and Losers in the Global Economy, by William Cline, Susan Collins, Dani Rodrik, and Adrian Wood.” International Organization 54, 2 (2000): 359-84. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2601301.
Kates, Michael. “Sweatshops, Exploitation, and the Case for a Fair Wage,” The Journal of Political Philosophy 27, 1 (2018): 26-47.
Krugman, Paul R. International Economics: Theory and Policy, Global Edition, 11th edition. Published by Pearson, 2018.
Kurjanska, Malgorzata & Mathias Risse. “Fairness in trade II: Export subsidies and the Fair Trade Movement.” Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 7, 1 (2008): 29-56.
Lepenies, Robert. Economists as Political Philosophers – A Critique of Normative Trade Theory. Max Weber Programme, European University Institute, 2014.
Lima-Campos, Aluisio & Juan Gaviria. Introduction to Trade Policy. London: Routledge, 2018.
Malin, Stephanie A., Ryder, Stacia & Mariana Galvão Lyra. “Environmental justice and natural resource extraction: intersections of power, equity and access,” Environmental Sociology, 5, 2 (2019): 109-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2019.1608420
Maneschi, Andrea. Comparative Advantage in International Trade: A Historical Perspective. Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar, 1998.
Mankiw, Gregory. “Beyond the noise on free trade.” New York Times, March 16th, 2008.
Mayer, Robert. “What’s Wrong with Exploitation?” Journal of Applied Philosophy, 24 (2007): 137-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5930.2007.00360.x
Miller, David. “Fair Trade: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter?” Journal of Moral Philosophy, 14, 3 (2017): 249-69.
Murshed, Syed Mansoob. The Resource Curse. Agenda Publishing, 2018. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5cg8kq
Narlikar, Amrita. “Fairness in International Trade Negotiations: Developing Countries in the GATT and WTO.” World Economy, 29 (2006): 1005-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2006.00833.x
O’Brien, Robert, and Marc Williams. Global Political Economy. Evolution and Dynamics. 6th Edition, Bloomsbury: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.
Pattison, James. The Alternatives to War. From Sanctions to Nonviolence, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2018. ISBN: 9780198755203.
Pogge, Thomas. World Poverty and Human Rights, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2002.
Porterfield, Matthew C. U.S. “Farm Subsidies and The Expiration Of The Wto’s Peace Clause.” Legal Scholarship Repository, 27, 4 (2014): 999-1042.
Powell, Benjamin. & Matt Zwolinski. “The Ethical and Economic Case Against Sweatshop Labor: A Critical Assessment,” Journal of Business Ethics 107 (2012): 449–72.
Reddy, Sanjay G. “Developing Just Monetary Arrangements,” Ethics & International Affairs, 17, 1 (2003): 81-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7093.2003.tb00420.x
Reiff, Mark R. Exploitation and Economic Justice in the Liberal Capitalist State. New York: Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Risse, Mathias & Gabriel Wollner. On Trade Justice. A Philosophical Plea for a New Global Deal. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Rodrik Dani. A Primer on Trade and Inequality. Harvard University, 2021: https://drodrik.scholar.harvard.edu/publications/primer-trade-and-inequality (last access: 22/09/2024).
Rodrik, Dani. “Populism and the economics of globalization.” Journal of International Business Policy, 2018.
Rodrik, Dani. The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and the Future of the World Economy. New York and London: W.W. Norton; 2011.
Scheffler, Samuel. “The Rawlsian Diagnosis of Donald Trump. Does Trump’s success vindicate or undermine liberal theory?” Boston Review, February, 12th 2019.
Shadlen, Kenneth C., Sampat, Bhaven N., & Amy Kapczynski. “Patents, trade and medicines: past, present and future,” Review of International Political Economy, 27, 1 (2020): 75-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/09692290.2019.1624295
Sheng Lu. Minimum Wage Level for Garment Workers in the World (Updated in December 2020) – FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing. Accessed on: https://shenglufashion.com/2020/12/04/minimum-wage-level-for-garment-workers-in-the-world-updated-in-december-2020/ (last access: 22/09/2024).
SIPRI. Arms sales of SIPRI Top 100 arms companies grow despite supply chain challenges, STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 2022. Accessed on: https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2022/arms-sales-sipri-top-100-arms-companies-grow-despite-supply-chain-challenges (last access: 22/09/2024).
Slaughter, Matthew J. Infant-Industry Protection and Trade Liberalization in Developing Countries. Research report, USAID’s Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT), 2004.
Tesón, Fernando R. “Why Free Trade is Required by Justice.” Social Philosophy and Policy 29, 1 (2012): 126-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265052511000112
Trebilcock, Michael J. & Joel Trachtman. Advanced Introduction to International Trade Law, 2nd edition. Elgar Advanced Introductions series, 2020.
Vrousalis, Nicholas. “Exploitation: A primer.” Philosophy Compass, 13, 2 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12486
Walton, Andrew. “Justice and Trade Policy.” In Routledge Handbook of Ethics and Public Policy. Edited by Annabelle Lever & Andrei Poama: 202-213. London: Routledge, 2019.
Walton, Andrew. “The Common Arguments for Fair Trade.” Political Studies, 61, 3 (2013): 691-706. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.00977.x
Walton, Andrew. “Trade Justice: An Argument for Integrationist, not Internal, Principles.” Journal of Political Philosophy, 28, 1 (2020): 51-72. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopp.12198
Weinar, Leif. Blood Oil. Tyrants, Violence, and the Rules that Run the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Wenar, Leif. “Property Rights and the Resource Curse.” Philosophy & Public Affairs, 36 (2008): 2-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1088-4963.2008.00122.x
Wenar, Leif. “Fighting the Resource Curse: The Rights of Citizens over Natural Resources (with Jérémie Gilbert).” Northwestern Journal of Human Rights, 20, 2 (2020): 30-79.
Wollner, Gabriel & Mathias Risse. “Three Images of Trade: On the Place of Trade in a Theory of Global Justice.” Moral Philosophy and Politics, 1, 2 (2014): 201-25.
WTO. Regional Trade agreements. Last updated on: Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Accessed on: https://rtais.wto.org/UI/PublicMaintainRTAHome.aspx
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Pietro Maffettone
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
