Free trade causes massive growth in developing countries. What do you think happened to china? There standard of living has increased massively. If you want poor countries to succeed than get rid of the massive farm subsidies in the US and Europe. Free trade makes both countries better of, it can be logically proven.
i think it might raise gdp in both countries however many unskilled workers are getting miss treated and overworked while getting paid horribly low wages (even in relation to their cost of living). On top of that free trade gives enormous power to large corporations and takes power away from regular people. Free trade does not equal fair trade. research a little more and you will see all of the pros, but mainly cons, of free trade.
Free rade is honest trading; we do not have free trade; especially in other countries.
In order to have free trade, you have to have free markets. In order to have free markets, you have to have honest money (commodity based currency).
The government likes to blame capitalism and free trade for the mistakes they make so that people like you will side with them and let them have more power.
You can print dollars, but you can't print wealth because gold cannot be printed!
@Cwinski Do you think that these people would be working for these "horribly low wages" if they had a better choice? For you to compare your standard of living to people who live on less than 50c a day is simply offensive. As a person from a developing nation I can honestly tell you wage that are a result of free trade do benefit developing nations. The only cons you will find about free trade is that it isn't always free due to subsidies and such.
At the expense of the usa,,,,,,my god are you blind millions of people are out of work and you think trade is good....obviously you dont know anything travel some and look at the results of trade, I have and its not pretty.
People worry about 3rd world countries being affected by so-called "free trade" - and they should. What many do not realize it that "free trade" turns industrial countries into 3rd world countries. "Free trade" ONLY helps the rich. The U.S. has been destroyed by "free trade." Not the rich in the U.S., but the country as a whole. To learn more log on to Economy In Crisis here on Youtube or online at their website.
No impoverished nation has risen out of poverty by protecting local producers from competition and by shunning foreign capital and embracing socialism. India tried those things after indepedence and it cost them four decades of poverty. After they liberalized in 1991, their fortunes have since turned for the better. The best thing poor countries cando is begin to respect property rights, invest in education and infrastructure and embrace micro finance for its citizens.
I absolutely agree that fair trade is the wrong way of approaching things. I agree that development projects are the best way of combatting poverty - like microfinance. Most fair trade projects are in countries that can't truly be classified as developing: Mexico, India, and South Africa.
Why ís it the wrong way? A LOT of people in India, mexico and south africa are extremely poor. I guess you need to get some facts before opening your mouth.
I'm actually from India, where the percentage of people below the poverty line has decreased from 40% to 25% over the last decade. This is not due to fair trade though: fair trade accounts for less than 5% of the market, and therefore cannot influence the market.
I suggest you get some facts before opening YOUR mouth. You sound very patronizing.
I just proved with your own words that India is poor. 25% is a lot! then we're just talking about India. No, fair trade isnt the only solution, but for the farmers in the fair trade projekt it is a solution. They are given liberty, more money, in many cases not poluted by venom, money for hospitals/schools/improving the loval society and so on.
If you are addressing me, I did not say that free trade and liberalization has eradicated poverty in India. What it has done is reduce dire poverty, poverty in general and it has brought millions up to a middle class standard of living. That is the problem with people talking about economic history. Capitalism and industrialization cannot completely nor immediately end poverty. Enemies of capitalism seize on that as evidence against capitalism while ignoring how bad the alternatives are or were.
How would you feel if your wage at McDonald's fluctuated with the rate of Big Macs sold? People are dying? The least we can do is pay $0.50 more for a cup of coffee.
What are you talking about? The price of coffee doesn't fluctuate violently in the short-run. Wages are mostly determined by supply and demand for labour.
$0.50 in the U.S. is worth less than $0.50 in developing nations.
The fair trade movement doesn't release statistics regarding the overall social benefits it induces, so I suggest you read "What Tanzania's Coffee Farmers Can Teach The World: A Performance Based Look at the Fair Trade-Free Trade Debate." in Sustainable Development journal.
Thats exactly what you do when buying fair trade, you give farmers the possibility to invest in education, infrastrcture and so on. We all know a lot of countries are currupt and dont give a shit about its people. By buying fair trade they are given the liberty of their own life.
Not true. Fair trade benefits a *few* landowners that qualify for it, at the expense of other qualified landowners. It ONLY targets landowners, at the expense of casual labourers that make up the bulk of farm workers. Finally, only 10% of the premium paid for fair trade products makes it back to producers.
Hey there Slimdawgc, this is just a purely open question, cos I'm keeping an open mind - I don't know one way or the other whether fair trade is necessarily typically beneficial or not - but, can you tell us where your stat. of 10% of the premium getting back to producers comes from? I'm really interested in more detail on that.
I also suggest you read "What Tanzania's Coffee Farmers Can Teach The World: A Performance Based Look at the Fair Trade-Free Trade Debate." in the journal of "Sustainable Development.
Here's what the journal study found: "Fairtrade's significant 44% value added at the organizational level was not internally leveraged to maximize benefits to farmers... benefits were distributed unevenly, as a combination of good husbandry and good luck brought some farmers multiple benefits while others received none."
Choosing Paying more than the market price is fine, if it buts more money in the hands of a poor person. What is bad is confusing that with trade barriers, which makes people in all countries poorer on balance. For the world's poorest, these government imposed ineffcienies are devestating. The best thing poor coffee growers can to is give up quantity for quality. They can have a larger and more stable income than if they grow commodity coffee. Sadly, many countries' policies have prevented this.
I guess africa likes paying more for their coffee. Oh wait, they don't. They like cheap products, like the rest of us, so that's why they're screw.
rzxwm10 1 month ago
free trade > you
Houshalter 1 year ago
Perhaps in some alternative universe is Free in conflict with Fair.
maskedphrogg 1 year ago
Free trade = Fair trade.
Free trade causes massive growth in developing countries. What do you think happened to china? There standard of living has increased massively. If you want poor countries to succeed than get rid of the massive farm subsidies in the US and Europe. Free trade makes both countries better of, it can be logically proven.
3conomist 2 years ago
i think it might raise gdp in both countries however many unskilled workers are getting miss treated and overworked while getting paid horribly low wages (even in relation to their cost of living). On top of that free trade gives enormous power to large corporations and takes power away from regular people. Free trade does not equal fair trade. research a little more and you will see all of the pros, but mainly cons, of free trade.
Cwinski 2 years ago
Free rade is honest trading; we do not have free trade; especially in other countries.
In order to have free trade, you have to have free markets. In order to have free markets, you have to have honest money (commodity based currency).
The government likes to blame capitalism and free trade for the mistakes they make so that people like you will side with them and let them have more power.
You can print dollars, but you can't print wealth because gold cannot be printed!
jjenson2006 2 years ago
@Cwinski Do you think that these people would be working for these "horribly low wages" if they had a better choice? For you to compare your standard of living to people who live on less than 50c a day is simply offensive. As a person from a developing nation I can honestly tell you wage that are a result of free trade do benefit developing nations. The only cons you will find about free trade is that it isn't always free due to subsidies and such.
habeshaqt 1 year ago
At the expense of the usa,,,,,,my god are you blind millions of people are out of work and you think trade is good....obviously you dont know anything travel some and look at the results of trade, I have and its not pretty.
onebad78ta 2 years ago
People worry about 3rd world countries being affected by so-called "free trade" - and they should. What many do not realize it that "free trade" turns industrial countries into 3rd world countries. "Free trade" ONLY helps the rich. The U.S. has been destroyed by "free trade." Not the rich in the U.S., but the country as a whole. To learn more log on to Economy In Crisis here on Youtube or online at their website.
dferriman 3 years ago
Would anyone believe that fair trade actually harms 3rd world coffee exporting countries?
Ortolanus 3 years ago
No impoverished nation has risen out of poverty by protecting local producers from competition and by shunning foreign capital and embracing socialism. India tried those things after indepedence and it cost them four decades of poverty. After they liberalized in 1991, their fortunes have since turned for the better. The best thing poor countries cando is begin to respect property rights, invest in education and infrastructure and embrace micro finance for its citizens.
Rexanglorum 4 years ago
I absolutely agree that fair trade is the wrong way of approaching things. I agree that development projects are the best way of combatting poverty - like microfinance. Most fair trade projects are in countries that can't truly be classified as developing: Mexico, India, and South Africa.
Slimdawgc 4 years ago
Why ís it the wrong way? A LOT of people in India, mexico and south africa are extremely poor. I guess you need to get some facts before opening your mouth.
GregerF 3 years ago
I'm actually from India, where the percentage of people below the poverty line has decreased from 40% to 25% over the last decade. This is not due to fair trade though: fair trade accounts for less than 5% of the market, and therefore cannot influence the market.
I suggest you get some facts before opening YOUR mouth. You sound very patronizing.
Slimdawgc 3 years ago
I just proved with your own words that India is poor. 25% is a lot! then we're just talking about India. No, fair trade isnt the only solution, but for the farmers in the fair trade projekt it is a solution. They are given liberty, more money, in many cases not poluted by venom, money for hospitals/schools/improving the loval society and so on.
GregerF 3 years ago
If you are addressing me, I did not say that free trade and liberalization has eradicated poverty in India. What it has done is reduce dire poverty, poverty in general and it has brought millions up to a middle class standard of living. That is the problem with people talking about economic history. Capitalism and industrialization cannot completely nor immediately end poverty. Enemies of capitalism seize on that as evidence against capitalism while ignoring how bad the alternatives are or were.
Rexanglorum 3 years ago
How would you feel if your wage at McDonald's fluctuated with the rate of Big Macs sold? People are dying? The least we can do is pay $0.50 more for a cup of coffee.
aratarat2001 3 years ago
What are you talking about? The price of coffee doesn't fluctuate violently in the short-run. Wages are mostly determined by supply and demand for labour.
$0.50 in the U.S. is worth less than $0.50 in developing nations.
The fair trade movement doesn't release statistics regarding the overall social benefits it induces, so I suggest you read "What Tanzania's Coffee Farmers Can Teach The World: A Performance Based Look at the Fair Trade-Free Trade Debate." in Sustainable Development journal.
Slimdawgc 3 years ago
Thats exactly what you do when buying fair trade, you give farmers the possibility to invest in education, infrastrcture and so on. We all know a lot of countries are currupt and dont give a shit about its people. By buying fair trade they are given the liberty of their own life.
GregerF 3 years ago
Not true. Fair trade benefits a *few* landowners that qualify for it, at the expense of other qualified landowners. It ONLY targets landowners, at the expense of casual labourers that make up the bulk of farm workers. Finally, only 10% of the premium paid for fair trade products makes it back to producers.
You really don't have any facts yourself.
Slimdawgc 3 years ago
Hey there Slimdawgc, this is just a purely open question, cos I'm keeping an open mind - I don't know one way or the other whether fair trade is necessarily typically beneficial or not - but, can you tell us where your stat. of 10% of the premium getting back to producers comes from? I'm really interested in more detail on that.
julianchosun 3 years ago
Certainly. This is a statistic released from Tim Harford, a British economist.
Slimdawgc 3 years ago
I also suggest you read "What Tanzania's Coffee Farmers Can Teach The World: A Performance Based Look at the Fair Trade-Free Trade Debate." in the journal of "Sustainable Development.
Slimdawgc 3 years ago
Here's what the journal study found: "Fairtrade's significant 44% value added at the organizational level was not internally leveraged to maximize benefits to farmers... benefits were distributed unevenly, as a combination of good husbandry and good luck brought some farmers multiple benefits while others received none."
Slimdawgc 3 years ago
Choosing Paying more than the market price is fine, if it buts more money in the hands of a poor person. What is bad is confusing that with trade barriers, which makes people in all countries poorer on balance. For the world's poorest, these government imposed ineffcienies are devestating. The best thing poor coffee growers can to is give up quantity for quality. They can have a larger and more stable income than if they grow commodity coffee. Sadly, many countries' policies have prevented this.
Rexanglorum 3 years ago
To this comment I add... what about china and how its protective policies have crumbled us economy and made itself, (China) a competitive monster?.
pacoaguitta 3 years ago
Support Fair Trade in the Philippines and support our local farmers!
communitywork 4 years ago
i likiey.... mr. liapis give good mark??? i betcha.
310359047 5 years ago
good shit.
imran2646 5 years ago
HEY KAMAL FINALY SUMTIN SICK
Ace10f 5 years ago
those guys you interviewed seemed really intelligent, who were they exactly?
avp007 5 years ago
Zain Khannnn
idreespasha 5 years ago