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Sweet Talk J. P. Singh

Sweet Talk By J. P. Singh

Sweet Talk Summary

Sweet Talk: Paternalism and Collective Action in North-South Trade Relations by J. P. Singh

Developed nations strive to create the impression that their hearts and pockets bleed for the developing world. Yet, the global North continues to offer unfavorable trade terms to the global South. Truly fair trade would make reciprocal concessions to developing countries while allowing them to better their own positions. However, five hundred years of colonial racism and post-colonial paternalism have undermined trade negotiations.

While urging developing countries to participate in trade, the North offers empty deals to partners that it regards as unequal. Using a mixed-methods approach, J. P. Singh exposes the actual position beneath the North's image of benevolence and empathy: either join in the type of trade that developed countries offer, or be cast aside as obstreperous and unwilling. Singh reveals how the global North ultimately bars developing nations from flourishing. His findings chart a path forward, showing that developing nations can garner favorable concessions by drawing on unique strengths and through collective advocacy. Sweet Talk offers a provocative rethinking of how far our international relations have come and how far we still have to go.

Sweet Talk Reviews

Singh offers a fascinating explanation for the Global North's failure to offer reciprocal trade concessions to the developing world. Trade negotiations have been imbued with deeply paternalistic, and sometimes racist discourse masquerading as 'fairness.' This riveting analysis shows the pernicious effects that culture clashes can have on the wellbeing of billions. -- B. Peter Rosendorff * New York University *
A seminal book that brings together the political economy of international trade with critical constructivist insight concerning paternalism and racism. Truly a 'bridge-building' exercise in the best of the Cohenite tradition, and a giant leap forward for the emerging postcolonial analyses of international political economy. -- John M. Hobson * University of Sheffield, author of The Eurocentric Conception of World Politics *
In this provocative new book, J.P. Singh offers a powerful critique of the rules that govern trade, shedding light on neocolonial values that underlie our negotiations and the unequal outcomes that result. Drawing on U.S. government press releases and detailed case studies, this compelling book urges scholars and practitioners to reexamine how cultural beliefs and historical patterns shape interactions among countries. -- Christina L. Davis * Princeton University *
J.P. Singh's blockbuster offers fresh insight into international trade negotiations where those in the developing world--who do not stand up for themselves, eyes open--are sweetly taken to the cleaners. A penetrating, sobering, skillful, alerting work. -- I. William Zartman * Johns Hopkins University, co-author of The Global Power of Talk *
Singh skillfully navigates different types of empirical evidence and presents a wealth of data and analysis...This book provides a foundation for future scholarship on paternalism and injustice in IPE, as well as the patterns of sweet and not so sweet talk in the North-South trade relations these dynamics create-making it a valuable read not only for scholars interested in trade, but also in North-South relations. -- Clara Weinhardt * Cambridge Review of International Affairs *
The general conclusion [of the book] is that while the Global North talks about benevolence toward the Global South, it gives few concessions and expects a lot from the Global South. In addition to notes and references, there are two appendixes on the node classification system used and the code book and data sources. This book provides another perspective on the international trade system and negotiations. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. -- J. E. Weaver * Choice *
Sweet Talk is a sweeping and ambitious work. It provides a valuable map and hypothesis for understanding the contours of international trade negotiations and outcomes over the past several decades. It will exert an important influence on scholarly understandings of trade and race in international relations. -- Andy Baker * Perspectives on Politics *

About J. P. Singh

J.P. Singh is Chair and Professor of Culture and Political Economy and Director of the Centre for Cultural Relations at the University of Edinburgh. Singh is the author of seven books and Series Editor of Emerging Frontiers in the Global Economy.

Table of Contents

Contents and Abstracts1Introduction: The Subtext of North-South Relations chapter abstract

This chapter describes the key linkages for the book: the way paternalistic strength weakens trade reciprocity and negotiation advantages strengthen it in North-South trade negotiations. It describes the main counterfactual, strategic trade theory, and then provides a deeper explanation embedded in cultural preferences that account better for outcomes in trade negotiations.

2Who Is Served by Paternalism? chapter abstract

This chapter first analyzes arguments in favor of, and against, interstate justice and paternalism-the strong helping the weak-before turning to the conditions in international negotiations that allow developing countries to obtain concessions in their favor. Paternalistic concessions are examined as departures from reciprocity to the extent that they are unilateral concessions made to the developing world, often in lieu of trade concessions that the developing world needs. Paternalistic preferences are traced back to racism. The chapter also explains the developing world's negotiation advantages.

3GATT and the Developing World before the Uruguay Round chapter abstract

This chapter shows that postcolonial questions were not paramount in the creation of GATT. It presents an analysis of trade measures that affected the developing world from the creation of the GATT to the end of the Tokyo Round (1979). Three trade measures are examined: the system of imperial preferences, trade status for infant industry in the developing world, and the Generalized System of Preferences that resulted in special and differential treatment for the developing world. The causal variables for examining the degree of reciprocity in each of these trade measure remain the same as before: North-South trade negotiations and the degree of paternalism from the North.

4Unequal Partners in Merchandise Trade chapter abstract

This chapter attends to the dynamics of paternalism and negotiations at GATT's Uruguay Round (1986-1994) and the effects on reciprocity in merchandise trade at the three levels of evidence from mixed methods presented in this book. First, the chapter attends to the presence of sweet talk as rhetoric. It provides the results of a content analysis of 1,925 pages of press releases for the 1982-1993 period from the U.S. trade representative for the years of the Uruguay Round, which confirms paternalism in USTR discourse. Next, the chapter presents the overall findings on merchandise trade at the Uruguay Round with an index developed to measure paternalism from a factor analysis of three other indices. Finally, the textiles agreement from the Uruguay Round is examined as a case of North-South negotiations in manufacturing.

5An Uneven Playing Field in Agricultural Negotiations chapter abstract

This chapter analyzes the evidence against North-South trade reciprocity at all levels discussed in this book: quantitative, historical, and case studies of sugar and cotton. Former colonies fare worse in agriculture than they did in manufacturing, even after the Uruguay Round, which ostensibly opened up some markets in agriculture. The Uruguay and Doha Rounds are discussed separately. Furthermore, a microanalysis of the causal factors-paternalism and negotiation advocacy-in the sugar and cotton cases helps to examine the underlying cultural intransigence that blocks benefits for the developing world.

6Big Disparities in Services and Intellectual Property chapter abstract

This chapter explains the difference between the North-South intellectual property and services agreements. The former is heavily contested, whereas the latter offers a win-win for North-South negotiations. The North's coercion and paternalism in intellectual property is explained first. Any exceptions to TRIPS provisions have resulted from the developing world's advocacy. The services agreement has enabled many developing countries-ranging from India as an outsourcing hub to developing country island states as tourism corridors-discover their comparative advantage in services products. Along the way, the developing world has also been singled out in policy and media accounts in the United States and the EU for stealing high-tech jobs, and fairly explicit racism has been directed at countries like India targeting its outsourcing practices.

7Conclusion: The End of Sweet Talk chapter abstract

This chapter provides a summary of the lessons learned, attends to counterarguments, and conjectures on ways forward for the developing world. Contrary to the expectations from a benevolent paternalism, this book finds scant evidence of sustainable material benefits from paternalism in international trade relations. Negotiated alternatives, especially multilateral ones, provide the weak some advantage. Strategic collective action from the weak fares well, but strategic economic diversification translates best into negotiation advantages.

Additional information

CIN1503601048G
9781503601048
1503601048
Sweet Talk: Paternalism and Collective Action in North-South Trade Relations by J. P. Singh
Used - Good
Paperback
Stanford University Press
20170111
264
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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Customer Reviews - Sweet Talk