Poverty, not trade, is the main cause of unacceptable working conditions and environmental degradation. And the answer to poverty is more trade and business, not less. China's by 5.5 per cent, sub-Saharan Africa's by 3.7 per cent. As living standards improve, so too does education, health, the environment, and labour standards. In open and democratic societies, people demand more.
Innovation needs freedom to flourish and in closed economies hope and growth perish.
The other danger in demonising globalization is that it deflects attention from the solutions we need. The main problem faced by workers in the United States and elsewhere is not foreign competition. It is the mismatch between the skills demanded by a new knowledge-based economy, and the skills many workers now bring to the market. Developing countries need more technical assistance, more help with capacity building, and greater access to our markets. Fighting to protect the status quo might provide temporary shelter.