EVALUATING THE CRITICISMS OF FAIR TRADE1

This article critically examines some of the most common arguments used to support the view that Fair Trade should be rejected by consumers and businesses seeking to socialise their economic decisions. Overall the paper finds that the majority of such criticisms lack evidential rigour and sophistica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEconomic affairs (Harlow) Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 29 - 36
Main Author Smith, Alastair M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2009
Subjects
corporate social responsibility
co‐operatives
Fair Trade
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International
free trade
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Summary:This article critically examines some of the most common arguments used to support the view that Fair Trade should be rejected by consumers and businesses seeking to socialise their economic decisions. Overall the paper finds that the majority of such criticisms lack evidential rigour and sophisticated theory but instead rely on a high degree of rhetorical aptitude. While this does not naturally lead to the position that Fair Trade is necessarily beneficial, the conclusion reflects on a substantial amount of positive evidence to suggest that Fair Trade should not be abandoned by consumers or businesses.
ISSN:0265-0665
1468-0270
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0270.2009.01944.x