Often, when we think of a t-shirt, not much consideration goes past throwing it on and walking out the door. We discover in The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, author Pietra Rivoli conveys the story of a t-shirt she purchased in Florida for just $5. 99. Beginning with core element of the t-shirt, she describes the cotton boom in the United States and why we have reigned supreme as the leading cotton producer. She even meets with a Texan farmer who warms your heart from the very beginning of the chapter.
Next, the cotton goes on to textile mills and factories, and Rivoli explains the history of the textile industry. With this lesson, she demonstrates how the textile industry boom was a leading contributor of the Industrial Revolution in many countries. From this point, we see the t-shirt waiting to be stitched together and awaiting its entrance into the global economy. Rivoli then outlines how the garment finally enters U. S. franchises through a labyrinth of politics, quotas, slave labor, and activism.
After it is purchased, worn, and discarded it enters a completely new market– the small entrepreneurial clothing market in Africa, which according to Rivoli, is the only true free market. She illustrates how underdeveloped countries finally catch a break by capitalizing on another country’s garbage, ending the t-shirt’s international journey. Fundamentally, this book forces you to ask yourself some very important questions about our history as a nation, the exploitation of slave and labor, and the state of free trade as a whole. Question 2: What is this book’s main idea?
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With this comprehensive, economical, and historical depiction, Rivoli sincerely strives to present why. She insists the reader knows why the international textile industry functions the way it does, and shines a revealing light on the truth by conveying the good, the not-so-good, and especially the ugly. It is clear that Rivoli is striving to educate about global economics and allows for the reader to formulate their own conclusion about the industry. Her writing style takes into consideration those with very little economic awareness and fluidly phrases things into layman’s terms.
She is able to expand on the most complex ideas, such as quotas and tariffs in the textile industry, and still paint a complete picture in the mind of the reader. The relevance of this book can be measured by its ability to speak to the everyday individual, who may or may not know anything about economics, and plant the seed toward global economic education. It provides a keen social awareness to people who may or may not ordinarily care about international economics and can have an eye-opening effect toward what really happens in the textile industry.
Rivoli also raises some substantial points about free trade and protectionism. After the facts are presented, she identifies that most of these alleged free markets aren’t actually free at all. She explains that quotas, political relationships, and labor issues make these markets restricted from being completely free. She writes “a story of the wealth enhancing possibilities of globalization in some settings but a ‘can’t win’ trap in others, a trap where power imbalances and poorly functioning politics and markets seem to doom the economic future. ” Question 3: Is the author arguing for free trade or protectionism? Explain.
Rivoli is not making an argument for either side of protectionism or free trade. Of course, as an avid economist, Rivoli advocates free trade, as do all of her peers and colleagues unanimously. Nevertheless, she does not lean toward either side, but instead demonstrates that both sides can inadvertently stimulate economic development. She supplies us with an in-depth history of the protectionism of textiles in the United States up until the Multi-fiber Arrangement expired in 2005. She further emphasises the convolution, and even the ridiculousness, of the quotas, tariffs, and other restrictions that political lobbyists and U.
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S. manufacturers have enforced to protect the textile industry. Rivoli reveals that the t-shirt doesn’t enter into a free market until it becomes a discarded “castoff” and ends up in Salvation Army bin postmarked for Africa: “America’s castoffs have customers the world over and clothing thrown away by Americans forms the backbone of a highly successful global industry. ” She argues, the policies of free markets are demanding that the American textile industry realize that international competitors from low-cost labor countries able to produce cheaper clothing, are forcing them to reconsider business strategies.
She also points out that protectionism and lobbying has provided life to the American textile industry “only by unnatural acts of life support”. Moreover, Rivoli presents that most measures of protectionism have actually hindered American industries for the future. Question 4: According to Rivoli, what is the role of politics in international trade? The role of politics is very important within international trade. From the cotton slaves in the nineteenth-century, to the present crop insurance and subsidies paid by the taxpayer, cotton farmers of America have discovered a myriad of ways to escape the fires of the labor market.
Primarily in China, freedom of movement is restricted internally to accomplish a parallel end result. Protectionism creates worldwide employment for the officials and bureaucrats administering the quotas, but simply delays the loss of lower-ranking jobs in the textile industry. Concurrently, it increases the price consumers pay for clothing and squelches textile manufacturing innovations in America. The cost of downstream industries increases and enhances foreign financiers who trade in quotas to determine market value. This tarnishes the efforts of freer trade in the United States with hypocrisy.
The Essay on International Trade and Industry
Sample short-answer exam questions – Lecture 3 Globalization All questions must be answered as far as possible in relation to your chosen organization and/or its industry sector as defined in your ‘organization/ industry profile’. These are ‘short-answer questions so think about how much you can write in 15-20 minutes. The marking scheme awards marks for relevance, application, quality and ...
Rivoli establishes the means behind the inefficiencies as the billions of dollars in costs are widely spread out, but the benefits are highly condensed. Rivoli touches briefly on the protection of property rights and insufficient rule of law in many countries. Furthermore, she suggests that the dilemma in underdeveloped countries is not the “cruelty of market forces”, but primarily an issue of politics. Since trade in used clothing is not as widely publicized as textile trade, this has given countries a leg up in improving their situation over the dominating economies.
Question 5: What was the most intriguing idea or analysis you found in this book? The main point Rivoli derives from her t-shirt encounters is that the free markets aren’t as free as the name would suggest. Her findings about the restrictions, quotas, and politics of free trade made me realize it isn’t free at all. I liked that Rivoli allows the reader to come to this conclusion on their own and doesn’t bludgeon the facts with biased opinions. While reading this book, it was difficult for me to weigh the pros and cons of things like child labor and slavery.
I found Rivoli’s optimistic outlook toward making the best out of terrible situations to be refreshing. By carefully interpreting the costs and benefits, I can see now that some of these sacrifices were worth it in the long run to enhance the industry. While providing an extensive history lesson about cotton, the politics of free trade, and worldwide Industrial Revolutions, I felt she may have left out a solid chunk of details about China. The details she included began with China’s Cultural Revolution but not much is offered before that.
Since China is such a powerhouse in the global market, I would like to have encountered a stronger back-story. Overall, this book was educational and opened my eyes to how global trade really works. Not only did I gain a basic knowledge about the global economy as a whole, but I learned what a free trade market really means. Above all, Rivoli forced me to ask myself some very important questions about the history of cotton and the textile industry, the exploitation of labor and struggling underdeveloped countries, and the state of free trade on an international scale.
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Trade and Prosperity Free trade is the act of exchanging goods or services between countries for minimal tariffs or fees. Between countries, this is a method of exchange that is gaining more and more popularity. By importing and exporting for low fees, free trade is an efficient way to cover up weaknesses in the country and gain on strengths. Free trade is a very controversial topic that is viewed ...
