Globalization And The Developing World

The impact of globalization on the world's developing economies is not conclusive: studies show conflicting conclusions to the same problems in the context of globalization in developing countries. It is this analytical inconclusiveness that is at the heart of this collection, which makes a fresh attempt to study the real impact of globalization.

The globalization process and the internal policy reforms that the developing countries have implemented during the past decade have changed the relative prices of practically all their inputs and outputs. Agricultural producers have therefore been forced to change the structure and methods of their production. The objective of this book is to review the impact of globalization on a number of issues. These include the effects of changes in global trading rules and regulations, the removal of trade barriers and the elimination of many country-specific trade agreements.

'In bringing together seven regional studies by economists from the Global Development Network, Natalia Dinello and Lyn Squire provide an insightful perspective on the relationships between globalization and equity. The topic is important, but too often has been oversimplified and viewed through western lenses. Complexity does not preclude strong conclusions, dubbed the Cairo Consensus here, but its analysis is helped by the mix of expertise and local knowledge embodied in this book.' - Richard Pomfret, University of Adelaide, Australia

Challenges conventional wisdoms surrounding globalisation's effects on developing countries, suggesting that the real losers are the middle classes.

2. International trade issues

Over the past two decades, the percentage of the world’s population living on less than a dollar a day has been cut in half. How much of that improvement is because of—or in spite of—globalization? While anti-globalization activists mount loud critiques and the media report breathlessly on globalization’s perils and promises, economists have largely remained silent, in part because of an entrenched institutional divide between those who study poverty and those who study trade and finance. Globalization and Poverty bridges that gap, bringing together experts on both international trade and poverty to provide a detailed view of the effects of globalization on the poor in developing nations, answering such questions as: Do lower import tariffs improve the lives of the poor? Has increased financial integration led to more or less poverty? How have the poor fared during various currency crises? Does food aid hurt or help the poor? Poverty, the contributors show here, has been used as a popular and convenient catchphrase by parties on both sides of the globalization debate to further their respective arguments. Globalization and Poverty provides the more nuanced understanding necessary to move that debate beyond the slogans.

Focusing on world regions where human rights abuses are the most serious, extensive and sustained; this book fills a crucial gap in our knowledge of the difficulties and promise of promoting human rights in our global age.

A comprehensive approach to globalization, managed and abetted by good policies, can magnify the effects of growth-promoting measures.