Y376 International Political Economy

1. Ipe22 December 3, 2009

2. What’s Wrong with Corporate Food? <ul><li>Favor monoculture forms of agriculture which undermines biodiversity </li></ul><ul><li>Favor “high-priced, high-margin luxury items – flowers, potted plants, beef, shrimp, cotton, coffee – for export to already overfed countries” </li></ul><ul><li>Favor “machine-intensive production” also called factory farms </li></ul>Source: Alternatives, p. 41 What’s Wrong with Corporate Food? <ul><li>Favor monoculture forms of agriculture which undermines biodiversity </li></ul><ul><li>Favor “high-priced, high-margin luxury items – flowers, potted plants, beef, shrimp, cotton, coffee – for export to already overfed countries” </li></ul><ul><li>Favor “machine-intensive production” also called factory farms </li></ul>Source: Alternatives, p. 41

3. Ruth Ozeki, All Over Creation <ul><li>Web site: http://ruthozeki.com </li></ul><ul><li>Basic premise: struggle over factory potato farms in Idaho </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Intro of genetically modified potatoes </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Purpose to reduce overuse of fertilizers and pesticides </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>“ The terminator” – genetic modification to prevent farmer sales of seeds of new organisms </li></ul></ul> Ruth Ozeki, All Over Creation <ul><li>Web site: http://ruthozeki.com </li></ul><ul><li>Basic premise: struggle over factory potato farms in Idaho </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Intro of genetically modified potatoes </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Purpose to reduce overuse of fertilizers and pesticides </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>“ The terminator” – genetic modification to prevent farmer sales of seeds of new organisms </li></ul></ul>

4. Michael Pollan <ul><li>The Botany of Desire </li></ul><ul><li>The Omnivore’s Dilemma </li></ul><ul><li>In Defense of Food </li></ul> Michael Pollan <ul><li>The Botany of Desire </li></ul><ul><li>The Omnivore’s Dilemma </li></ul><ul><li>In Defense of Food </li></ul>

5. The Slow Food Movement <ul><li>Carlo Petrini </li></ul><ul><li>McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps in Rome </li></ul><ul><li>Global movement with local chapters called Convivia </li></ul> The Slow Food Movement <ul><li>Carlo Petrini </li></ul><ul><li>McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps in Rome </li></ul><ul><li>Global movement with local chapters called Convivia </li></ul>

6. Diversity <ul><li>Biodiversity </li></ul><ul><li>Economic Diversity </li></ul><ul><li>Cultural Diversity </li></ul>Need to ask whether the preservation of economic and cultural diversity has the same moral/political standing as the preservation of biodiversity. Diversity <ul><li>Biodiversity </li></ul><ul><li>Economic Diversity </li></ul><ul><li>Cultural Diversity </li></ul>Need to ask whether the preservation of economic and cultural diversity has the same moral/political standing as the preservation of biodiversity.

7. Threats to the Genetic Commons <ul><li>“… now subject to reinvention through genetic engineering and transformed into patentable commodities.” </li></ul><ul><li>Who benefits from stricter intellectual property protection for new organisms? </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Monsanto </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Novartis </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Dupont </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Pioneer </li></ul></ul>Source: Alternatives, pp. 113-114 Threats to the Genetic Commons <ul><li>“… now subject to reinvention through genetic engineering and transformed into patentable commodities.” </li></ul><ul><li>Who benefits from stricter intellectual property protection for new organisms? </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Monsanto </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Novartis </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Dupont </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Pioneer </li></ul></ul>Source: Alternatives, pp. 113-114

8. Bio-Prospecting <ul><li>“ Pharmaceutical companies are especially eager for access and the rights to patent genetic material. Their representatives travel the globe, exploring traditional native remedies in jungles and fields. They also extract blood and scrape “buccal mucosa” from skins of native peoples wherever they can, hoping to find genes that contain natural resistance to certain maladies.” </li></ul>Source: Allernatives, p. 114. Bio-Prospecting <ul><li>“ Pharmaceutical companies are especially eager for access and the rights to patent genetic material. Their representatives travel the globe, exploring traditional native remedies in jungles and fields. They also extract blood and scrape “buccal mucosa” from skins of native peoples wherever they can, hoping to find genes that contain natural resistance to certain maladies.” </li></ul>Source: Allernatives, p. 114.

9. Old Bio-Prospecting: The Case of Orchid Hunters <ul><li>These adventurous men would often risk their lives to earn the huge sums of money that were on offer. In their quest they had to cope with tropical diseases, swarms of insects, venomous snakes, giant spiders, wild animals, hostile tribesmen and floods. In addition, they had to contend with competition from other hunters, corruption, intrigue, spying and probably murder, too. Whoever managed to survive these perils and bring the plants back safely to Europe soon became rich and also honored, as the orchids were often named after the finder. </li></ul>Source: http://www.maljonicsdreams.com/orchids/orchid_history.htm Old Bio-Prospecting: The Case of Orchid Hunters <ul><li>These adventurous men would often risk their lives to earn the huge sums of money that were on offer. In their quest they had to cope with tropical diseases, swarms of insects, venomous snakes, giant spiders, wild animals, hostile tribesmen and floods. In addition, they had to contend with competition from other hunters, corruption, intrigue, spying and probably murder, too. Whoever managed to survive these perils and bring the plants back safely to Europe soon became rich and also honored, as the orchids were often named after the finder. </li></ul>Source: http://www.maljonicsdreams.com/orchids/orchid_history.htm

10. . The New Bio-Prospecting: The Case of Thermus aquaticus <ul><li>1966 discovery of microorganisms living in Yellowstone’s hot springs </li></ul><ul><li>1985 Cetus Corporation discovers new way to duplicate genetic material via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) </li></ul><ul><li>PCR required high temperatures that often destroyed the enzymes created </li></ul><ul><li>A high-temperature tolerant enzyme was isolated from Thermus aquaticus and added to PCR to make it work better </li></ul>Source: http://www.nature.nps.gov/benefitssharing/whatis.cfm

11. . Can the New Bio-Prospecting Help to Preserve Global Cultural and Bio-diversity? <ul><li>Makes indigenous peoples stakeholders in the new bio-sciences </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Own the land where new organisms are found </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Invented the folk medicines that may become patentable pharmaceuticals via bio-prospecting </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Gives the ethnic communities in rain forests and other remote locations a potential new source of income/wealth and an incentive to manage natural resources wisely </li></ul>

12. . The Precautionary Principle <ul><li>“ When there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental damage.” (p 101) </li></ul>The original source is the Declaration of Rio signed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.

13. . Pro- vs. Anti- Globalization Positions Trade MNCs Free flow of capital? Add environ-mental restrictions? Pro Free No restrict-ions Yes No Anti Fair Favor local firms No Yes

14. . Reforms vs. Radical Change Reform vs. Radical Change WTO IMF/ World Bank G7/G8 UN System Reform Complete Doha Round More Demo-cratic More Demo-cratic Keep subordi-nate to other regimes Radical Change Scrap it Scrap them Scrap it Upgrade it

15. . Changes in the Global Economy since 1989 <ul><li>End of the Cold War </li></ul><ul><li>Acceleration of Globalization </li></ul><ul><li>September 11 </li></ul><ul><li>Rise of Neo-Liberalism </li></ul><ul><ul><li>Washington Consensus </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Welfare to Workfare </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Empowerment and personal responsibility replaced protection of the vulnerable in rationale for government social programs </li></ul></ul>

16. . A Renewed Focus on the Local <ul><li>Globalization makes it difficult for governments to protect local communities and regions from its negative effects (especially under the influence of neo-liberal ideas) </li></ul><ul><li>In developing countries, social safety nets were too thin to begin with; now they are even more ineffective </li></ul><ul><li>Governments of developing countries have been scaling back their efforts to help the vulnerable (in response to the Washington Consensus) </li></ul>

17. . What are the Issues that Both Sides Have to Address? <ul><li>Continued poverty and misery of the Fourth World </li></ul><ul><li>Inability of either globalization or localism to overcome forces that lead to domestic violence and war </li></ul><ul><li>Defining the role of local and national governments, along with international governance institutions in allowing the global economy to work more or less effectively </li></ul>

18. . What comes next in the study of International Political Economy? <ul><li>How to reconcile the global interests in economic growth and environmental protection </li></ul><ul><li>How to deal with the growing power of MNCs and other transnational actors </li></ul><ul><li>How to preserve and expand democratic governance in the face of growing vulnerability of the system to major disruptions (military, economic, and terrorist) </li></ul>