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Fair Trade
Anderson, Tim Riedl, Elisabeth
Anderson, Tim
Riedl, Elisabeth
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PAnderson_Riedl.pdf
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Abstract
'Fair Trade' has become such a popular term that it now covers a bewildering array of quite different proposals, from protectionist measures through genuine solidarity action to new marketing opportunities. While 'fair trade' is often seen as a counterpart to the older concept of 'free trade', in many ways 'free trade' and the associated arguments around the World Trade Organisation's liberalising processes have also been arguments about fairness - i.e. the right of equal access to markets. Our aim in this paper is to unpack 'fair trade' as a concept, to examine the main varieties of the concept and their relationship to so-called 'free trade'. In an attempt to make some sense of the various proposals, we will divide the 'fair trade' arguments into three broad categories, according to their approach to 'fairness': 'free trade' as fairness, fairness through linking labour rights to liberalisation, and fairness through value redistribution, especially by empowering small producers. Each of our three broad categories contains important sub-variants, which we will introduce and explain. We conclude with some comments about the legitimacy of the various 'fair trade' arguments.
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2004
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With permission of the license/copyright holder