Backwaters of global prosperity : how forces of globalization and GATT/WTO trade regimes contribute to the marginalization of the world's poorest nations /

This volume provides an unusually good analysis of the particular elements of globalization in general and the global trade regime in particular that are biased against the interests of the world's least developed countries. Many books have been published that look at globalization from the "bottom up," but few authors present such detailed and informed analysis as does Dowlah (professor of economics and director of the Center of Economics Education, CUNY, Queensborough College). Individual chapters assess the degree to which the least developed countries are economically marginalized, examine the role of GATT/WTO regimes in the marginalization process, and analyze the effectiveness of differential treatment regimes within GATT/WTO in remedying this situation. Detailed case studies of the global textile and agricultural trade policies are followed by a concluding chapter that assesses the prospects for advancement of the interests of least developed countries within the WTO framework. The conclusion presents an agenda for reform for today's "third wave" of globalization. Overall, this is a thoughtful contribution to the globalization debate and a very useful introduction to the particular trade issues affecting the least developed countries. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduate through faculty collections. M. Veseth University of Puget Sound