Sugar: Refined Power in a Global Regime (International Political Economy Series)

"Sugar is a commonplace product with a complex background, mainly because of the high degree of protectionism given to the industry and the benefits of ensuring domestic producers stay in business. This book asks why there are such disagreements over trade policy, who profits within the current regime, and where power ultimately lies"--Provided by publisher. Machine generated contents note: List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Conceptualising Power in the World Economy: Reviving Regimes in IPE Theory From a Colonial to a National Regime, 1500-1945 Imminent Crisis and the Embryonic Global Regime, 1945-1994 Restructuring in the EU-ACP: Out of the Strong There Came Forth Sweetness US Under Stress: Free Trade and Fracture in the National Regime? Antinomies in Asia: Political Conflicts in Protected Markets The End Game of the Global Regime: A False Promise of Free Markets Conclusion Bibliography Notes Index List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Conceptualising Power in the World Economy: Reviving Regimes in IPE Theory From a Colonial to a National Regime, 1500-1945 Imminent Crisis and the Embryonic Global Regime, 1945-1994 Restructuring in the EU-ACP: Out of the Strong There Came Forth Sweetness US Under Stress: Free Trade and Fracture in the National Regime? Antinomies in Asia: Political Conflicts in Protected Markets The End Game of the Global Regime: A False Promise of Free Markets Conclusion Bibliography Notes Index. Sugar is a commodity that continues to hit the headlines. Whether the debate is over ongoing protectionism, volatile world prices, poor labour standards, or bio fuel production, the policies that surround sugar are heavily contested. Drawing on critical political economy and institutional theory, this book develops a novel framework by which the power underpinning these policies can be better understood and their distributive outcomes brought to the forefront of analysis. Providing a truly global overview of the sugar industry, the book considers such issues such as the impact of the World Trade Organization on regulation, the patterns of concentration and diversification among sugar processors, and the transition to high-sugar diets in Asia. Importantly, these issues are also discussed in relation to the acts of resistance, submission and co-option among the rural poor. In doing so, this study sheds light not only on the changing nature of production in sugar, but also on the causes and consequences of globalization in the agri-food sector more generally

Sugar is a commonplace product with a complex background, mainly because of the high degree of protectionism given to the industry and the benefits of ensuring domestic producers stay in business. This book asks why there are such disagreements over trade policy, who profits within the current regime, and where power ultimately lies.