My lecture arguments against free trade and globalization are based on a thorough market failure argument, where that term includes monopoly power, ownership externalities, maldistribution of income, macroeconomic instability, etc. This places the environmental and labor objections to globalization in context and ties in well with standard lectures.
I can send more if you are interested. Scott Gassler Professor of Economics Vesalius College of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel Belgium At 22:41 27/11/01 -0600, you wrote: >Michael, > >(and others) have been lamenting the failure of Pen-l to look at the >current economic problems etc. I have a practical (?) suggestion. > >I teach a course called "Canadian Economic Problems" and also >am frequently called upon to lecture on "free trade" and its >implications, etc. What I do not have is a comprehensive critique >of so-called free trade, all the agreements etc. What I would like to >see is pen-l put together a comprehensive critique of 'free trade' >(sic) that we could use in classes, public protests, media, etc. with >all the appropriate academic references to studies, reports, etc. > >I know of a number of studies (such as the excellent one by CEPR) >on globalism and (the failure of) growth. But I don't know them all. >Nor do I know of all of the studies on NAFTA and job destruction >such as the one by EPI/CCPA. What I would like to see is a >series of reports, not overly long, by interested pen-l members of >the evils of 'free trade' and its effects. Something that we could put >together and download (or get students to download) that would >give a comprehensive theoretical and empirical critique of the 'free >trade conspiracy' with all the appropriate footnotes/URLs to relevant >studies/reports/websites. > >I am not suggesting whole articles. Indeed that would make the >project useless -- but rather short 500-1000 word summaries of a >group of empirical and/or theoretical literature. > >Is this a feasible project? Or is it academic wishthinking? I do >think we need to give our young people in the trenches some >theoretical and practical evidence to maintain their resolve, never >mind our own. > >Paul Phillips, >Economics, >University of Manitoba > >
