The social construction of free trade : the European Union, NAFTA, and Mercosur / Francesco Duina.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Duina, Francesco G., 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Free trade.

Free trade--Social aspects.

Regionalism.

Trade blocs.

European Union.

North American Free Trade Agreement (1992 December 17).

North American Free Trade Agreement.

MERCOSUR (Organization).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (269 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2006]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book offers a compelling new interpretation of the proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) at the end of the twentieth century. Challenging the widespread assumption that RTAs should be seen as fundamentally similar economic initiatives to pursue free trade, Francesco Duina proposes that the world is reorganizing itself into regions that are highly distinctive and enduring. With evidence from Europe, North America, and South America, he challenges our understanding of globalization, the nature of markets, and the spread of neoliberalism. The pursuit of free trade is a profoundly social process and, as such, a unique endeavor wherever it takes place. In an unprecedented comparative analysis, the book offers striking evidence of differences in the legal architectures erected to standardize the worldview of market participants and the reaction of key societal organizations--interest groups, businesses, and national administrations--to a broader marketplace. The author gives special attention to developments in three key areas of economic life: women in the workplace, the dairy industry, and labor rights. With its bold and original approach and its impressive range of data, The Social Construction of Free Trade represents a major advance in the growing fields of economic sociology and comparative regional integration.

Contents:

Introduction and theoretical framework

Visions of free trade

Institutions, politics, and the making of regional markets

The evolution of law and society in the EU, Mercosur, and NAFTA

The use of regional law to standardize reality

The targets and content of regional law

Societal adjustments to integration

Conclusion

Reflections on the present and future.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [217]-240) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691123530

0691123535

9781400849413

1400849411

OCLC:

860711613