Opponents of globalization use arguments about lost jobs, poverty and child labor to scare people, Cato University director said Tuesday.
Tom Palmer dismantled each argument to demonstrate how globalization benefits both poor and rich countries during his lecture at the Miller Business College.
Senior Jen Marx said the opponents' views about globalization surprised her.
"I couldn't believe some of the views people had about globalization, whether good or bad," she said. "I didn't realize the issue was so up in the air for people. I've always been a supporter of globalization."
Opponents argue that globalization causes job loss because U.S. companies move to poorer countries for cheaper labor, Palmer said.
However, because both countries benefit, they are less likely to go to war or to create policies protecting domestic goods, he said.
"Globalization can drain rich countries of high paying jobs because of protectionism," he said. "The flip side is that globalization doesn't destroy jobs. It changes jobs."
For example, many candy producers left the United States for Canada because U.S. sugar is too expensive, he said.
Businesses will invest were they will get the highest return and where the labor is the best, he said.
"The workers find other jobs that typically pay better and are safer," Palmer said. "Change hurts at first. If you want to be richer, then you have to change. That still doesn't diminish the fact that it hurts."
Another concern about globalization is that it creates an American culture around the world, he said.
Palmer said that for a culture to be a living culture, it has to be open to change. However, he said that English is not becoming the common language.
"More languages are being absorbed by Spanish," he said. "English is not expanding as a primary language but as a secondary language."
To understand the arguments for and against globalization, Palmer recommended the following books: The Road to Hell by Michael Maren, No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs by Naomi Klein and Case Against the Global Economy: And for a Turn Toward the Local by Jerry Mander.
"You can read these books and make up your own minds about globalization," Palmer said. "In this discussion, I wanted to put some flesh and blood on the issue."8824-¦="-»?N_globalizationpg5_1/29/04DNEditorial882SORT2+â-ä2AUDT
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