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Abstract
This volume is the first work to emerge from a major international comparative research project exploring the political economy of globalization. This inter-disciplinary team of scholars is focusing on the semi-periphery of world power. Whether defined in social, cultural, economic or simply spatial terms, 'semi-peripheral' countries share two qualities: they are conscious of their subordination to the hegemonic powers at the centre of the global system - the United States and the European Union; they are also strong enough to have some ability to resist their domination. The structural position of these middle powers in global capitalism is unlike those countries at the centre that do not experience domination, and different from those Third World countries on the periphery that have no means to achieve more cultural and political autonomy, more distinctive and diversified development, or greater social equity and better income redistribution.
Four countries in North America, Central America, Europe and the Antipodes - namely Canada, Mexico, Norway and Australia - have been selected in order to explore the complexities of globalization from the perspective of the semi-periphery. Opening chapters examine the international institutions, including the North America Free Trade Agreement, the World Trade Organization and the European Union, which now amount to a quasi-constitutional conditioning framework for middle powers under globalization. In the second part, contributors detail the pressures with which these countries have to cope and consider their ability to pursue policies appropriate to the needs and democratically defined goals of each. And in the concluding part, after discussing the new economic, political and social issues of 'governing under stress', they appraise the possibilities for middle powers to chart distinctive national courses in the face of globalization's constraining challenge.
Professor Stephen Clarkson is in the Department of Political Science, University of Toronto. He was awarded the Canada-USA Fulbright Scholarship in 1999-2000, the Killam Senior Research Fellowship in 1999-2001 and the Woodrow Wilson International Fellowship in 2000-2001.
Marjorie Griffin Cohen is an economist who is professor of Political Science and Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University, Canada. She was Department Chair of Women's Studies from 1996-1999. She has published widely in her fields.
Table of Contents
Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
---|---|---|---|
cover | cover | ||
Contents | v | ||
Tables and Figures | viii | ||
Preface | x | ||
Gordon Laxer | x | ||
A note on concepts | xi | ||
Empire and the semi-periphery | xiv | ||
Books in this series | xvii | ||
Notes | xx | ||
References | xx | ||
1 | 1 | ||
Introduction:States under Siege | 1 | ||
Marjorie Griffin Cohen and Stephen Clarkson | 1 | ||
Globalization, globalism, and global governance | 1 | ||
Global governance and the semi-periphery\r | 3 | ||
The contents | 5 | ||
Note | 11 | ||
References | 11 | ||
2\r | 12 | ||
Globalization and the Social Question | 12 | ||
Janine Brodie | 12 | ||
The erosion of a myth | 14 | ||
Locating the social | 16 | ||
The new constitutionalism and the power of global capital | 19 | ||
Metaphors of decline | 23 | ||
Paradoxes of the social | 24 | ||
Conclusion | 27 | ||
References | 28 | ||
Part I | 31 | ||
Semi-peripheral Countries: Norway, Mexico, Australia, Canada | 31 | ||
3 | 33 | ||
Globalization in Norwegian: Peculiarities at the European Fringe | 33 | ||
Øyvind Østerud | 33 | ||
The coordinates of the globalization debate | 34 | ||
The latency period | 36 | ||
‘Globalization’ hits Norway | 40 | ||
Globalization in Norwegian | 42 | ||
The new internationalization | 44 | ||
State, business, and the politics of oil | 46 | ||
The politics of the commons | 47 | ||
The peculiarities of the Norwegians: a summing-up | 48 | ||
Notes | 49 | ||
References | 49 | ||
4\r | 51 | ||
Norway, the EEA, and Neo-liberal Globalism | 51 | ||
Dag Harald Claes and John Erik Fossum | 51 | ||
Norway and the world around it | 51 | ||
Adapting to what? The EU as a political system | 54 | ||
Mechanisms: how Norway adapts | 55 | ||
Legal obligation: the nature of the formal ties – the EEA agreement | 56 | ||
Adaptation as changed incentives | 58 | ||
The interaction of rules and incentives | 59 | ||
The consequences of adaptation | 61 | ||
Direction of policy change | 62 | ||
Conclusion: towards neo-liberal convergence | 64 | ||
Notes | 67 | ||
References | 68 | ||
5 | 70 | ||
The Rise and Fall of an 'Organized Fantasy': The Negotiation of Status as Periphery and Semi-Periphery by Mexico and Latin America\r | 70 | ||
Teresa Gutiérrez-Haces | 70 | ||
Latin America negotiates its position as a peripheral region | 72 | ||
The role of international organizations in the economic control of Latin America | 76 | ||
Mexico and the shift to neo-liberalism | 78 | ||
Governability and the North American Free Trade Agreement | 80 | ||
Final considerations | 87 | ||
Notes | 88 | ||
References | 89 | ||
6 | 90 | ||
Mexico: Relocating the State within a New Global Regime | 90 | ||
Alejandro Alvarez | 90 | ||
The international economic environment during the 1980s and 1990s | 91 | ||
The Mexican democratic transition in 2000 | 93 | ||
The unfolding of financial crises | 96 | ||
Figure 6.1 Exchange rate and total exports in Mexico, 1981-2000 \r | 97 | ||
Figure 6.2 Minimum wages, manufacturing industry average remunerations and employment in Mexico, 1980-2000 | 98 | ||
Figure 6.3 Economic deficit, service of external public debt, and health and education expenditure, 1980-2000 | 99 | ||
Trade openings: winners and losers | 103 | ||
Conclusions | 106 | ||
Notes | 107 | ||
References | 107 | ||
7 | 110 | ||
Australia: Asian Outpost or Big-time Financial Dealer? | 110 | ||
Dick Bryan | 110 | ||
Between Europe and Asia | 110 | ||
The impact of mining | 111 | ||
Figure 7.1 Australian exports, major trading countries, 2000-1\r | 112 | ||
Protection of domestic industry | 114 | ||
Figure 7.2 \rAustralian imports, major trading countries, 2000-1 | 115 | ||
Figure 7.3 Australia’s current account deficit, 1985-2000\r ($bn) | 117 | ||
Globalization from one country | 118 | ||
Internationalization of investment and finance | 119 | ||
An international currency | 121 | ||
Where does Australia stand? | 123 | ||
The rise of competitiveness: implications for the labour market | 123 | ||
Conclusion | 127 | ||
Notes | 129 | ||
References | 130 | ||
8 | 132 | ||
Australia: Neo-liberal Globalism and the Local State | 132 | ||
Ray Broomhill | 132 | ||
A regulation framework | 134 | ||
The rise of local neo-liberalism | 136 | ||
The limits of local neo-liberalism | 139 | ||
A sustainable regime of capital accumulation? | 139 | ||
A sustainable regulatory framework? | 142 | ||
Problems of social reproduction | 144 | ||
Conclusion | 149 | ||
Notes | 151 | ||
References | 151 | ||
9 | 153 | ||
Global Governance and the Semi-peripheral State: The WTO and NAFTA as Canada’s External Constitution | 153 | ||
Stephen Clarkson | 153 | ||
Constitutions | 154 | ||
Norms | 154 | ||
Limits on government | 155 | ||
Rights for corporations | 156 | ||
Adjudication | 158 | ||
Enforcement | 163 | ||
Institutions | 164 | ||
Will | 165 | ||
Amending the supraconstitution | 166 | ||
Exercising supraconstitutional rights abroad | 169 | ||
Conclusion | 170 | ||
Notes | 171 | ||
References | 172 | ||
10 | 175 | ||
International Forces Driving Electricity Deregulation in the Semi-periphery: The Case of Canada | 175 | ||
Marjorie Griffin Cohen | 175 | ||
Changes in the electricity industry | 176 | ||
Table 10.1 Fuel sources for electricity generation (% of total electricity production) | 180 | ||
Table 10.2 Comparative electricity prices in North America (Canadian cents/kWh) | 181 | ||
US drive for energy | 182 | ||
Table 10.3 North American world electricity trade (billion kWh, 1999) | 185 | ||
NAFTA and the GATS | 187 | ||
Conclusions | 191 | ||
Notes | 192 | ||
References | 193 | ||
Part II | 195 | ||
Dealing with the Centre | 195 | ||
11 | 197 | ||
Money on the (Continental) Margins: Dollarization Pressures in Canada and Mexico | 197 | ||
Paul Bowles | 197 | ||
Why is dollarization an issue? | 198 | ||
Table 11.1 Canadian Exports, 1985-2000\r | 200 | ||
Figure 11.1 US/Canadian dollar exchange rate, 1970-2001 | 203 | ||
Table 11.2 \rMexican exports, 1985-2000 | 209 | ||
Figure 11.2 US dollar/Mexican peso exchange rate, 1990-2001 | 211 | ||
Implications | 212 | ||
Notes | 215 | ||
References | 216 | ||
12 | 218 | ||
Taking Investments Too Far: Expropriations in the Semi-periphery | 218 | ||
David Schneiderman | 218 | ||
NAFTA rules | 221 | ||
Pope & Talbot | 226 | ||
Metalclad | 227 | ||
S.D. Myers | 230 | ||
Conclusion | 233 | ||
Notes | 234 | ||
References | 235 | ||
13 | 239 | ||
The Rule of Rules: International Agreements and the Semi‑periphery | 239 | ||
Stephen McBride and John Erik Fossum | 239 | ||
The international political economy as a system of power | 241 | ||
Towards a post-national constellation? | 244 | ||
International market-making systems: rules for efficiency | 245 | ||
Rule enforcement in market-making systems: accountability/monitoring/review | 247 | ||
Rule enforcement in market-making systems: adjudication | 249 | ||
The EU: neo-liberal copy-cat or novel polity? | 250 | ||
Beyond market-making: from Common Market to polity/political system | 252 | ||
Conclusion | 256 | ||
Notes | 257 | ||
References | 257 | ||
Part III | 261 | ||
Comparing Economic Performance | 261 | ||
14 | 263 | ||
Zonal Structure and the Trajectories of Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Norway under Neo-liberal Globalization | 263 | ||
Satoshi Ikeda | 263 | ||
Neo-liberal globalization and zonal structure | 264 | ||
Table 14.1 Changes in zonal membership, 1980–1999 | 267 | ||
Figure 14.1 Zonal population share, 1980-1999\r | 269 | ||
Trajectories of Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Norway under globalization | 270 | ||
Table 14.2 Population and income, 2000 | 271 | ||
Figure 14.2 Per capita MER GNI relative to US per capita GNI\r | 272 | ||
Figure 14.3 Per capita PPP GNI relative to US per capita GNI | 273 | ||
Figure 14.4 Real GNI trends, Canada | 275 | ||
Figure 14.5 External dependency, Canada (%) | 276 | ||
Figure 14.6 Export destination concentration index | 277 | ||
Figure 14.7 Real GNI trends, Mexico | 279 | ||
Figure 14.8 External dependency, Mexico (%) | 280 | ||
Figure 14.9 Real GNI Trends, Australia | 281 | ||
Figure 14.10 External dependency, Australia (%) | 282 | ||
Figure 14.11 Real GNI trends, Norway | 283 | ||
Figure 14.12 Trade dependency, Norway (%) | 284 | ||
Divergent semi-peripherality, vulnerability, and sustainability | 285 | ||
Table 14.3 \rIncome performance, external dependency, and vulnerability | 286 | ||
Notes | 288 | ||
References | 289 | ||
About the Contributors | 291 | ||
Index | 295 |