JaeWeb

free market and democracy

January 4th, 2007

In the same journal that I referred to in my previous post, New Political Science, I also read another article, and my impression is exactly the opposite - this is a very good article. The title is “Free Trade: A paradox for democracy” and it’s written by Tom De Luca and John Buell. The article is more in line with common political theory rather than critical theory. It argues how the international pressures for market liberalization and international free trade are presented by proponents of such free trade as something unavoidable, something natural, and something technical, that is beyond the control of democratic governments. It is presented as something that needs to be negotiated behind closed doors, validated by experts, and only rubber stamped by democratically elected parliaments. The result is that it stimulates lack of political efficacy among citizens and hence apathy towards the political system. Furthermore, it stimulates emphasis of one’s own identity, be it race, religion, or nationality, as a superior natural phenomenon, as the only possibly counter force against the globalization of the economy. International free trade, said to promote international peace and democracy, has thus serious negative effects on democracy and stimulates sentiments that usually lead to war rather than peace. The authors are clearly not opposed to free trade, but they argue that presenting it as something natural and unavoidable, without paying attention to its inherent tensions with democracy, leads to conflict rather than to peace. They argue for a less narrow conception of both free trade - which should include more political rights as minimum wages and human immigration policies - and democracy - which should be more than electing rubber stamp parliaments. I very much like the article, partly because it represents the kind of social liberalism I would adhere to as well.

Entry Filed under: politics, free market and free trade, international cooperation, democracy