
Global Rivalries
Standards Wars and the Transnational Cotton Trade
Amy A. Quark(Author)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 22. August 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
312 pages
978-0-226-05067-6 (ISBN)
Description
As the economies of China, India, and other Asian nations continue to grow, these countries are seeking greater control over the rules that govern international trade. Setting the rules carries with it the power to establish advantage, so it's no surprise that everyone wants a seat at the table-or that negotiations over rules often result in stalemates at meetings of the World Trade Organization. Nowhere is the conflict over rule setting more evident than in the simmering "standards wars" over the rules that define quality and enable the adjudication of disputes. In Global Rivalries, Amy A. Quark explores the questions of how rules are made, who makes them, and how they are enforced, using the lens of cotton - a simple commodity that has become a potent symbol of both the crisis of Western rule - making power and the potential for powerful new rivals to supplant it. Quark traces the strategies for influencing rule-making processes employed not only by national governments but also by transnational corporations, fiber scientists, and trade associations from around the globe.
Quark analyzes the efficacy of their approaches and the implications for more marginal actors in the cotton trade, including producers in West Africa. By placing the current contest within the historical development of the global capitalist system, Global Rivalries highlights a fascinating interaction of politics and economics.
Quark analyzes the efficacy of their approaches and the implications for more marginal actors in the cotton trade, including producers in West Africa. By placing the current contest within the historical development of the global capitalist system, Global Rivalries highlights a fascinating interaction of politics and economics.
Reviews / Votes
"With Global Rivalries, Amy A. Quark offers a fascinating account of the evolution of standards setting in the international cotton trade, bringing this seemingly technocratic but intensely political process to life without sacrificing careful and erudite scholarship. More importantly, she shows convincingly that these issues matter greatly in an increasingly global marketplace." (Susan K. Sell, George Washington University)"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 23 mm
Width: 17 mm
Thickness: 2 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-05067-6 (9780226050676)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2013
1st Edition
University of Chicago Press
€43.59
Available for download
Person
Amy A. Quark is assistant professor of sociology at the College of William and Mary.