The Social Construction of Free Trade : : The European Union, NAFTA, and Mercosur / / Francesco Duina.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Princeton University Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Duina, Francesco,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2013]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Edition: Course Book
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (272 p.) :; 5 line illus. 15 tables.

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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- List of Figures and Tables -- A Note on Translations -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Part I: Introduction and Theoretical Framework -- Chapter One. Visions of Free Trade -- Chapter Two. Institutions, Politics, and the Making of Regional Markets -- Part II: The Evolution of Law and Society in the EU, Mercosur, and NAFTA -- Chapter Three. The Use of Regional Law to Standardize Reality -- Chapter Four. The Targets and Content of Regional Law -- Chapter Five. Societal Adjustments to Integration -- Part III: Conclusion -- Chapter Six. Reflections on the Present and Future -- Appendix -- References -- Index