“Some are more fair than others”: fair trade certification, development, and North–South subjects

• Published in: Agriculture and human values Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 273 - 284
• Main Author: Naylor, Lindsay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.06.2014; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural Economics; Certification; Consumers; Debates; Developing countries; Economic development; Education; Ethics; Evolutionary Biology; Fair trade; Geopolitics; History; Industrialized nations; Labeling; LDCs; market share; Market shares; Narratives; Neoliberalism; Philosophy; Scholarships & fellowships; Social activism; Studies; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Development; Global north–south; Geopolitics; Certification; Fair trade
• ISSN: 0889-048X; 1572-8366
• DOI: 10.1007/s10460-013-9476-0

At the same time as fair trade certified products are capturing an increasing market share, a growing number of scholars and practitioners are raising serious questions about who benefits from certification. Through a critique of north–south narratives, this paper draws on contemporary themes in fair trade scholarship to draw out different ways of thinking about fair trade outside of the dichotomous north–south framing. I argue that, through the creation of fair trade subjects of the “global north” and “global south,” certification has normalized and naturalized dichotomous power relations. The primary concern of this paper is to demonstrate the problems with situating certification and scholarship in the north–south binary and to push examination toward a more nuanced analysis of how certification and development are shaped in-place. This intervention is important for assisting with stepping away from long-standing debates regarding the effectiveness of certification, and additionally in contributing to critical thinking on economic development more broadly.