CIVIL SOCIETY AND TRADE · Civil society and the politics of global trade. Integrating democratic and gender concerns
FP6 — Marie Curie Actions (Human Resources and Mobility)
- Duration
- 2005-08-01 → 2007-07-31
- EU contribution
- €159,684
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- EIF
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Results in brief
Final Activity Report Summary - CIVIL SOCIETY AND TRADE (Civil Society and the Politics of Global Trade: Integrating Democratic and Gender Concerns)
The main goal of this project was to identify in which ways and to what extent the lack of participative and transparent practices in contemporary trade governance contributes to the reproduction of gendered hierarchies in the global political economy. Accordingly, the project analysed, using a comparative perspective, mechanisms of governance that escaped from wider public scrutiny in two different contexts of north and south regionalisation, namely the North American free trade agreement and the economic partnership, political co-ordination and cooperation agreement that was signed between the European Union and Mexico. In order to find possible answers, this project analysed key proposals from civil society organisations working in Mexico which sought to bring gender concerns into trade governance agendas and multilateral negotiations. One of the most important findings was that women and feminist groups in Mexico, as well as in other Latin American countries, brought forward gender concerns into trade politics while democratising them. In other words, gender-informed trade policy was pushing forward through women collective engagement and participation. This parallel agenda was pointed out over and over by women activists working in contexts like Mexico, i.e. characterised by high levels of impunity, gender inequality, violence and deficient democratic systems and institutions. On the basis of these observations, this research initiated a critical examination on the extent to which women transnational interventions in Mexico and Latin America opened the possibility for the re-politicisation of trade governance.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
In 2001, the fourth WTO Ministerial Conference launched the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) as a new policy framework on trade and development. Since then, numerous initiatives have been developed within the multilateral and regional trading systems aiming a t fostering this agenda. Notably, EU's efforts have focused on supporting capacity building to help stakeholders to participate effectively in multilateral negotiations. However, amidst these efforts few has been done to tackle the democratic and gender de fictis that at the local level are preventing an effective access of Southern counterparts in the world economy.This study contributes in this respect because:1. It brings together the literature on the North-South politics of global trade to democracy and gender concerns. Trade liberalization does not automatically lead to sustainable development and it often has detrimental effects on the most vulnerable social groups.This study contributes to draw connections between:(a) the challenges that policies of global trade have posed to emergent democracies; and(b) prevailing gender hierarchies in the South.2. The study provides an empirical study on the steps that local civil society actors have followed to revert democratic and gender deficits in the politics of global trade. It asks how precisely, these proposals can be addressed in two relevant examples of North-South interactions: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Economic Partnership, Political Co-ordination and Co-operation Agreement between the EU and Mexico (EU-MEX Agreement).3. Finally, the study provides an informed assessment on the democratic and gender impacts of free trade agreements between Northern and Southern counterparts and of local civic activism's engagement in this debate. It is expected that this study will inform both policy at multilateral and regional arenas and civil society strategies at the local level.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- GÖTEBORGS UNIVERSITET · GÖTEBORGCoordinatorCity levelSweden
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union