Coffee Hour 12/3 - Changes in Global Apparel Trade
Saturday, December 3
10:00 - 11:45 am
3019 Minnehaha Avenue, Suite 20
Minneapolis, MN 55406
What makes up a good trade agreement and how do these agreements affect imports, exports and the lives of workers? Although many of us may be vaguely aware of the poor trade agreements that have been brokered between the U.S. and other countries as of late, fewer of us know the details or realize how these policies are affecting real people. Today we will look at one industry and how trade agreements have changed it.
Changes in Global Apparel Trade and Workers: Comparing Central America and SE Asia
Prior to 2005, global apparel trade was controlled by the Multi Fibre Arrangement. In this talk, we will discuss how apparel trade changed after the end of the MFA and how workers have fared after the end of that agreement. Specifically we compare the cases of El Salvador, Honduras, and Cambodia. All three have trade agreements with the United States, but Cambodia has had a much more positive experience than El Salvador and Honduras, both in terms of trade (exports) and in terms of workers.
Raymond Robertson is Professor of Economics at Macalester College. His research focuses on the union of international, labor, and development economics. He has published in several leading economic journals. He is a non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development and a member of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP). His current work focuses on the effects of the ILO’s Better Work program in Cambodia and other countries, as well as other issues relating to the effects of globalization on workers. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas after spending a year in Mexico as a Fulbright Scholar.
For more information on this topic, contact Raymond Robertson at robertson[at]macalester.edu or 651-696-6739.
This event is free of charge, but donations are gladly accepted. Thanks to Glaciers Cafe for the donation of coffee and muffins!
Join us the following Sunday, December 11th for our Holiday Free Trade Gift Sale - going on from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm!
