The Benefits of Globalization

Globalization describes the ongoing global trend toward the freer flow of trade and investment across borders and the resulting integration of the international economy. Because it expands economic freedom and spurs competition, globalization raises the productivity and living standards of people in countries that open themselves to the global marketplace.

For less developed countries, globalization offers access to foreign capital, global export markets, and advanced technology while breaking the monopoly of inefficient and protected domestic producers. Faster growth, in turn, promotes poverty reduction, democratization, and higher labor and environmental standards.

While globalization may confront government officials with more difficult choices, the result for their citizens is greater individual freedom. In this sense, globalization acts as a check on governmental power that makes it more difficult for governments to abuse the freedom and property of their citizens.

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The LATEST from the Center for Trade Policy Studies on the Benefits of Globalization

• Talk about industry's demise just a manufactured myth (November 23, 2007)

• American Workers Are 'Trading Up' (November 16, 2007)

• Trade Policy Analysis no. 36: Trading Up: How Expanding Trade Has Delivered Better Jobs and Higher Living Standards (October 25, 2007)

• Congressional Testimony: The Large Stake of U.S. Small Business in an Expanding Global Economy (June 13, 2007)

• Unfulfilled trade policy (May 18, 2007)

MORE from the Center for Trade Policy Studies on the Benefits of Globalization

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Trade Policy Analysis

Trade Policy Analysis no. 36: Trading Up: How Expanding Trade Has Delivered Better Jobs and Higher Living Standards by Daniel Griswold (October 25, 2007)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 30: Ripe for Reform: Six Good Reasons to Reduce U.S. Farm Subsidies and Trade Barriers by Daniel Griswold, Stephen Slivinski, and Christopher Preble (September 5, 2005)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 26. Trading Tyranny for Freedom: How Open Markets Till the Soil for Democracy by Daniel T. Griswold (January 6, 2004)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 24. The Trade Front: Combating Terrorism with Open Markets by Brink Lindsey (August 5, 2003)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 15. Trade, Labor, and the Environment: How Blue and Green Sanctions Threaten Higher Standards by Daniel T. Griswold (August 2, 2001)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 10: China's Long March to a Market Economy... by Mark A. Groombridge (April 24, 2000)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 8. Seattle and Beyond: A WTO Agenda for the New Millennium by Brink Lindsey, Daniel T. Griswold, Mark A. Groombridge, and Aaron Lukas (November 4, 1999)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 5. Opening U.S. Skies to Global Airline Competition by Kenneth J. Button (November 24, 1998)

Trade Policy Analysis no. 4. A New Track for U.S. Trade Policy by Brink Lindsey (September 11, 1998)

Trade Briefing Papers

Trade Briefing Paper no. 21. The Case for CAFTA: Consolidating Central America's Freedom Revolution by Daniel Griswold and Daniel Ikenson (September 24, 2004)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 18. Free-Trade Agreements: Steppingstones to a More Open World by Daniel T. Griswold (July 10, 2003)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 16. Grounds for Complaint? Understanding the "Coffee Crisis" by Brink Lindsey (May 6, 2003)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 11. The Case for Open Capital Markets by Robert Krol (March 15, 2001)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 10. WTO Report Card III: Globalization and Developing Countries by Aaron Lukas (June 20, 2000)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 9. WTO Report Card II: An Exercise or Surrender of U.S. Sovereignty? by William H. Lash III and Daniel T. Griswold (May 4, 2000)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 8. WTO Report Card: America’s Economic Stake in Open Trade by Daniel T. Griswold (April 3, 2000)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 6. Trade, Jobs, and Manufacturing: Why (Almost All) U.S. Workers Should Welcome Imports by Dan Griswold (September 30, 1999)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 5. Trade and the Transformation of China: The Case for Normal Trade Relations by Dan Griswold, Ned Graham, Robert Kapp, and Nicholas Lardy (July 19, 1999)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 2. Free Trade and Human Rights: The Moral Case for Engagement by Robert A. Sirico (July 17, 1998)

Trade Briefing Paper no. 1. The Blessings of Free Trade by James K. Glassman (May 1, 1998)

Speeches and Testimony

The Large Stake of U.S. Small Business in an Expanding Global Economy (June 13, 2007)

The Best "Anti-Sweatshop" Policy: Expanding U.S. Trade with Developing Countries (February 14, 2007)

Toward Meaningful Tax Reform in Japan (December 27, 2006)

The Future of NAFTA: "Hecho en China"? (November 17, 2006)

Against the Dead Hand: The Uncertain Struggle for Global Capitalism (February 5, 2002)

Mighty Is the Mongrel? Winning In the Global Economy (November 20, 2000)

Global Money, Sovreignty, and Privacy (October 6, 2000)

Free Trade Bulletins

Free Trade Bulletin no. 22: Blowing Exhaust: Detroit's Woes Belie a Healthy U.S. Auto Market by Daniel Griswold and Daniel Ikenson (July 27, 2006)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 16. Miracle Down Under: How New Zealand Farmers Prosper without Subsidies or Protection by Thomas Lambie (February 7, 2005)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 15. Cutting the Cord: Textile Trade Policy Needs Tough Love by Daniel Ikenson (January 25, 2005)

Free Trade Bulletin no. 9. Another Revolution in Latin America: Who Will Win? by Andrea Gash Durkin and Ricardo Reyes (March 23, 2004)

Key Points:

Trading Tyranny for Freedom: How Open Markets Till the Soil for Democracy by Daniel T. Griswold (1/6/04)

Books:

Freedom to Trade: Refuting the New Protectionism (1997) (also available online)

Book Reviews:

Trade Winds by Brink Lindsey - Reason Magazine, November 2000 (a review of A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Hidden Promise of Globalization, by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge) A Gray World, by Brink Lindsey - Reason Magazine, July 1999 (a review of False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism, by John Gray The Great Contradiction, by Brink Lindsey - Reason Magazine, July 1998 (a review of The Great Betrayal by Patrick J. Buchanan) More in-depth analysis of The Great Betrayal is available here Trade Winds, by Brink Lindsey - Reason Magazine, April 1997 (a review of One World, Ready or Not:by William Greider)

Commentary

Talk about industry's demise just a manufactured myth by Daniel Ikenson (November 23, 2007)

American Workers Are 'Trading Up' by Daniel Griswold (November 16, 2007)

Unfulfilled trade policy by Daniel Ikenson (May 18, 2007)

GATT Turns 60 by Douglas A. Irwin (April 9, 2007)

Poor-Mouthing Prosperity By Brink Lindsey (September 22, 2006)

Globalization, Human Rights, and Democracy By Daniel T. Griswold (February 28, 2006)

Six Reasons to Kill Farm Subsidies and Trade Barriers By Daniel Griswold, Stephen Slivinski, and Christopher Preble (February 1, 2006)

Peace on earth? Try free trade among men By Daniel Griswold (December 29, 2005)

Growing Wealth Crowds Out Oppression By Daniel T. Griswold (November 25, 2005)

CAFTA Cornucopia by Dan Griswold (May 5, 2005)

Fair Trade or Betrayed? CAFTA SI! Promise of stability and prosperity by Dan Ikenson (April 3, 2005)

Trade with China is win-win by Daniel T. Griswold (October 20, 2004)

Is Wal-Mart Good for America? Brink Lindsey (October 7, 2004)

A Case for Bush by Daniel T. Griswold (August 29, 2004)

President Bush Runs on a Pro-Trade Platform by Daniel T. Griswold (August 25, 2004)

10 Truths About Trade: Hard Facts About Offshoring, Imports, and Jobs by Brink Lindsey (July 1, 2004)

Reagan Embraced Free Trade and Immigration by Daniel T. Griswold (June 24, 2004)

Outsource, Outsource, and Outsource Some More by Daniel T. Griswold (May 3, 2004)

The Best Way to Grow Future Democracies by Daniel T. Griswold (February 15, 2004)

After 10 Years, NAFTA Continues to Pay Dividends by Daniel T. Griswold (January 8, 2004)

To the Benefit of Both by Daniel T. Griswold (September 15, 2003)

The Logic of Trade by Daniel T. Griswold (August 18, 2003)

Liberty Will Survive Hong Kong's New Laws by Brink Lindsey (February 4, 2003)

By Every Reasonable Measure, NAFTA Has Been a Success by Daniel T. Griswold (December 27, 2002)

U.S.-Singapore's FTA Packs a Quiet Punch by Daniel Ikenson (December 13, 2002)

Mixed Signals on Trade Barriers by Brink Lindsey (July 30, 2002)

Seven Moral Arguments for Free Trade by Daniel Griswold (May 1, 2002)

Seven Moral Arguments for Free Trade by Daniel Griswold (May 1, 2002)

U.S. Protectionism Imperils Free Trade Talks With Latins by Brink Lindsey (March 22, 2002)

Forum Follies, No news from Porto Alegre by Aaron Lukas (March 1, 2002)

Social Insecurity by Brink Lindsey (March 1, 2002)

Moral Colonialism by Thomas Larsson (January 15, 2002)

Sugar Program Brings Bitter Taste to Holiday Season by Daniel Griswold (January 7, 2002)

Free Trade and Our National Security by Brink Lindsey (December 5, 2001)

Trade Authority Promotes America's Economy and Security by Daniel T. Griswold (November 27, 2001)

Labor and Environment Sanctions Would Poison Trade Talks by Daniel T. Griswold (September 28, 2001)

Continued Truck Ban a Roadblock to Trade by Daniel Griswold (August 23, 2001)

China's Accession to the WTO: A Winning Outcome for both China and the United States By Mark Groombridge (July 24, 2001)

House Vote Erects Roadblock to U.S.-Mexican Trade by Daniel Griswold (July 10, 2001)

How to Open Markets by Example by Brink Lindsey (July 6, 2001)

Among the Fringers by Aaron Lukas (May 21, 2001)

Clueless in Quebec by Aaron Lukas (April 18, 2001)

NAFTA Means Better Future for Mexicans by Aaron Lukas (February 21, 2001)

The Coming Trans-Atlantic Trade Tussle by Daniel T. Griswold (December 13, 2000)

Trade Winds (book review) by Brink Lindsey (November 1, 2000)

FAIR Ads Unfairly Blame Immigrants for Urban Sprawl by Daniel T. Griswold (October 4, 2000)

Sen. Hollings aims at Germany, Hits U.S. by Daniel T. Griswold (September 11, 2000)

The Blessings and Challenges of Globalization by Daniel T. Griswold (September 1, 2000)

Enroll Buchanan in Economics 101 by Daniel T. Griswold (August 24, 2000)

Whatever Happened to "the Giant Sucking Sound"? by Daniel T. Griswold (June 6, 2000)

China: Constructive Partner or Emerging Threat? by Ted Galen Carpenter and James A. Dorn (May 10, 2000)

Globalphobia in the Streets -- Again by Brink Lindsey (April 15, 2000)

Kick Me, I'm for Free Trade by Brink Lindsey (February 22, 2000)

Bringing Economic Sanity to Agricultural Trade by Daniel T. Griswold (December 2, 1999)

WTO Bashers Would Slam The Door On The World's Poor by Brink Lindsey (December 2, 1999)

A new financial architecture for China by James Dorn (September 21, 1999)

Brussels Sins, Cheese Lovers Do Penance by Aaron Lukas (August 2, 1999)

China: Risky ... or Worthy WTO Bid? by James Dorn (July 26, 1999)

To Promote U.S.-China Trade, Repeal Jackson-Vanik by James Dorn (July 14, 1999)

Advancing Human Rights In China by James Dorn (July 10, 1999)

There Is No Steel 'Crisis' by Daniel T. Griswold (March 15, 1999)

Improving Human Rights In China by James Dorn (February 8, 1999)

Fast Track Impasse by Brink Lindsey (February 1, 1999)

Corporate America On the Dole by Doug Bandow (February 1, 1999)

Chile Takes a Bold Step Toward Freer Trade by José Piñera and Aaron Lukas (January 15, 1999)

China's Spontaneous Order by James Dorn (January 7, 1999)

Open U.S. Skies to Global Competition by Kenneth J. Button (December 23, 1998)

Little Need for Government In E-Commerce by Aaron Lukas (November 23, 1998)

A Better Strategy for Burma by Aaron Lukas (November 16, 1998)

A Global Intervention Crisis by Daniel T. Griswold and Ian Vasquez (November 11, 1998)

A New Global Financial Architecture? by James A. Dorn (November 4, 1998)

Free Trade Nationalism by Brink Lindsey (November 2, 1998)

A Rotten Tomato Deal at Commerce by Aaron Lukas (September 10, 1998)

The Other Tobacco War by Aaron Lukas (August 24, 1998)

Revisiting the Revisionists by Brink Lindsey and Aaron Lukas (August 20, 1998)

Grant China MFN by Aaron Lukas (July 21, 1998)

Trading with the Hungry Bear by Aaron Lukas (June 25, 1998)

A Personal Overview of U.S. Trade Policy by William A. Niskanen (June 24, 1998)

Exporting Fair Play With a Global Investment Treaty by Daniel T. Griswold (June 17, 1998)

Japan's Weakness Is No Threat by Brink Lindsey (May 29, 1998)

End Semiconductor Industrial Policy by Brink Lindsey (May 8, 1998)

East Asia Ready to Remove Training Wheels By Brink Lindsey (March 19, 1998)

Wanted: Free-Market Internationalists by Daniel T. Griswold (March 15, 1998)

A Silver Lining in Cloud Over Asia? by Brink Lindsey (March 12, 1998)

Five Goals for U.S. Trade by Brink Lindsey (March 11, 1998)

The Myth of Fair Trade by James Bovard (November 1, 1991)

Protectionism with a Green Face and a Union Bug by Daniel T. Griswold (January 1, 1991)

Free Trade Empowers Americans to Better Their Lives by Daniel T. Griswold (January 1, 1991)