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TTIP: The Truth about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has stirred passions like no other trade negotiation in recent history. Its supporters maintain that TTIP will produce spectacular growth and job creation; claims that are wholeheartedly rejected by its critics, who regard TTIP as a direct assault on workers' rights, health and safety standards and public services.In this incisive analysis, Gabriel Siles-Brugge and Ferdi de Ville scrutinize the claims made by TTIP's cheerleaders and scaremongers to reveal a far more nuanced picture behind the headlines. TTIP will not provide an economic 'cure-all', nor will it destroy the European welfare state in one fell swoop. Thanks to unprecedented levels of protest and debate around TTIP, however, neoliberal trade negotiations are well and truly back in the spotlight. In this respect, TTIP could well prove to be a 'game-changer' - just not in the way imagined by its backers.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 19, 2018
This books strongest side is the 1st chapter about the "managing of fictional expectations". Echoing Beckert the authors set out to show us that the growth estimates for these trade agreementsare not what they are often proclaimed to be. The methodology can be dubvious, and the results thus overestimated. The estimates are therefore mostly used in attempts to legitimize the discourse in favour of it. Thus acting in favor of the trade deals is a no-brainer that should be depoliticized. This tendency is also described in their 2014 article called "The Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership and the Role of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling: An Exercise in
‘Managing Fictional Expectations"
The later chapters lack the same punching power. In the second they take on the argument that Europe is not capable of settin the standards for trade because 1. the interests are of the EU and the US are not compatible and 2. it is not in the interests of the other countries to adapt other standards than their own. The problem with this argument is that there are noone that says that the EU and the US can agree on everything, but as previous trade negotiations in the WTO and GATT have showed, these two powers can have a big impact in how these rules are formed, if they agree on a specific ruleset. The more countries you get to sign on to this standard, the harder it is for outside actors to try to work against this institutionalization.
Outside actors will have an interest in exporting to these markets, and thus if the rules are generally institutionalized in different trade agreements, then they become sticky and hard and hard to change, which is in the interest of the western companies. Thus the answer to the second part is that it might not be in the interests of the other countries to adapt a standard, but if they want to export to a market thats large enough they have to sign on to export, and the larger the market is, the larger the potential benefit is, and the harder it is to change. One example of this is the EU's attempt to work in Geographical Indicators in all their trade agreements, which will protect name brands like Champagne, thus institutionalizing the protection for these goods, in favor of European interests.
The last section is about the organizing of coalitions against the agreement, and it is hard to deduce any overarching point out of this. The main point will probably be that Business Europe and such organizations to a larger extend support these agreements than NGO's and humanitarian organizations.
All in all its a fine read, but the best points are summed up in the 2014 article.
Partnership and the Role of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling: An Exercise in
‘Managing Fictional Expectations"
The later chapters lack the same punching power. In the second they take on the argument that Europe is not capable of settin the standards for trade because 1. the interests are of the EU and the US are not compatible and 2. it is not in the interests of the other countries to adapt other standards than their own. The problem with this argument is that there are noone that says that the EU and the US can agree on everything, but as previous trade negotiations in the WTO and GATT have showed, these two powers can have a big impact in how these rules are formed, if they agree on a specific ruleset. The more countries you get to sign on to this standard, the harder it is for outside actors to try to work against this institutionalization.
Outside actors will have an interest in exporting to these markets, and thus if the rules are generally institutionalized in different trade agreements, then they become sticky and hard and hard to change, which is in the interest of the western companies. Thus the answer to the second part is that it might not be in the interests of the other countries to adapt a standard, but if they want to export to a market thats large enough they have to sign on to export, and the larger the market is, the larger the potential benefit is, and the harder it is to change. One example of this is the EU's attempt to work in Geographical Indicators in all their trade agreements, which will protect name brands like Champagne, thus institutionalizing the protection for these goods, in favor of European interests.
The last section is about the organizing of coalitions against the agreement, and it is hard to deduce any overarching point out of this. The main point will probably be that Business Europe and such organizations to a larger extend support these agreements than NGO's and humanitarian organizations.
All in all its a fine read, but the best points are summed up in the 2014 article.
January 15, 2017
If the debate on free trade has been on the low end of your interests or priorities - as in my case - this is a really good book to quickly inform yourself on TTIP. It is short, balanced and well-structured and can be finished in a few hours.
However, the tone of voice is very academic and book reads as a scientific literature overview. The writers claim in the introduction that the goal of the book is to write about TTIP for a broader audience and in my humble opinion, they did not succeed in that. More anecdotal stories - other than the overly repeated example chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef - and less focus on theories on international trade and IPE could have really opened this book up to a broad audience.
I would still recommend this book to people who really want to know what TTIP is all about, but I'd be selective as to who I'd make my recommendation.
However, the tone of voice is very academic and book reads as a scientific literature overview. The writers claim in the introduction that the goal of the book is to write about TTIP for a broader audience and in my humble opinion, they did not succeed in that. More anecdotal stories - other than the overly repeated example chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef - and less focus on theories on international trade and IPE could have really opened this book up to a broad audience.
I would still recommend this book to people who really want to know what TTIP is all about, but I'd be selective as to who I'd make my recommendation.
November 15, 2016
This was a pretty good book about the issues for and against the TTIP. Though a fairly short read it does have quite a good amount of information. My issue with this book, however is that it can be somewhat repetitive. There were a lot of issues that were constantly brought up such as chlorinated chicken, hormone treated beef, and car bumpers that were mentioned in every chapter.
Overall I feel that this is a very informative read that will give you more information than the 10 second soundbites that you hear from politicians on the news. I will say that previous knowledge on macroeconomic principles will help to make some of the information more palatable.
Overall I feel that this is a very informative read that will give you more information than the 10 second soundbites that you hear from politicians on the news. I will say that previous knowledge on macroeconomic principles will help to make some of the information more palatable.
February 28, 2016
Insightful and realistic perspective on future of trade developed after talking with NGOs.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews