Letter
from the Editors
|
|
Trade liberalization, in various fits and starts, strains and nuances, and in all of its controversial glory, continues. Many countries prioritize trade pacts, typically guided by a faith that such deals will result in increased trade and investment flows, in turn, economic growth, and in time, wholesale poverty reduction. But the persistence of poverty, against the backdrop of trade wheeling and dealing, challenges orthodox views of how this process really works. The ensuing, current debate about what else is required is complex and often polarized. What is the starting point for diagnosing, prescribing and articulating the nexus of trade and poverty?
This edition of the WIIT Newsletter examines the linkages between free trade deals and poverty from a variety of compelling angles. Trade attorney Andrea Ewart weighs in on the rhetoric and expectations surrounding trade as it championed by institutions such as the WTO. Her cogent analysis of what the diverse camps say about trade and what they anticipate from trade, suggests that these are no less extraneous in effect than what they do, and indeed might be at the heart of the Doha dilemma. World Bank consultant Gillian Virata offers a comparative assessment of the relationship between trade and poverty by introducing us to two cotton farmers from different parts of the globe - United States and Mali. Her analysis provides unique insight into the impact that agricultural subsidies has on local farmers through the eyes of "two cotton-pickin' farmers." Finally, Trade and Poverty Analyst for the GlobalWorks Foundation, Shamarukh Mohiuddin turns our attention towards women and poverty. From the perspective that employment in light manufacturing and agricultural sectors are key to lifting many women out of poverty, she advocates for a trade policy that promotes the growth in these industries in the poorest countries around the world.
This newsletter continues to highlight the seminal events organized each year by both WIIT and the national chapter, Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT). We are international in scope and presence too, and this edition debuts a section dedicated to profiling the accomplishments and activities of individual chapters around the globe. We hear from the president of the OWIT chapter in Nairobi, Kenya on some of the organizations history and incredible milestones. The newsletter thus allows us to trade experiences, ideas, and resources across geographical boundaries.
We hope that you enjoy
the final edition of the WIIT Newsletter for 2006-2007. We welcome your comments.
Please e-mail us at wiit_newslettereditors_2006@yahoo.com.
Thank you!
Co-editor of the WIIT Newsletter, Racquel Smith is project manager at the Canadian Foundation for the Americas, an Ottawa-based policy institute. She is a former research fellow in the Integration, Trade and Hemispheric Issues Division of the Inter-American Development Bank.
Dr. Sarita Jackson serves as the co-editor for the WIIT newsletter. She
is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Global Business Management and Public
Policy department at the University of Maryland University College. She received
her Ph.D. in Political Science (with an emphasis on Comparative and International
Political Economy) from Brown University.
