Fair trade: an imperfect obligation?

  • Fair Trade is under fire. Some critics argue, for instance, that there is no obligation to purchase Fair Trade certified products and that doing so may even be counter-productive. Others worry that well-justified conceptions of what makes trade fair can conflict. Yet others suggest that the common arguments for Fair Trade cannot justify purchasing Fair Trade certified goods, in particular. This paper starts by sketching one common argument for Fair Trade and defends it against this last line of criticism. In particular, it argues that we should purchase Fair Trade certified goods because doing so benefits the poor even though there are other ways to alleviate poverty. It then considers how other common arguments for Fair Trade fare in light of similar criticism and concludes that they may well succeed.

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Author:Nicole Hassoun
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-609099
DOI:https://doi.org/10.21248/gjn.10.2.152
ISSN:1835-6842
Parent Title (English):Global justice : theory, practice, rhetoric
Publisher:The Global Justice Network
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2018/09/24
Date of first Publication:2018/09/24
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2021/06/09
Tag:consequentialism; exploitation; fair trade; imperfect duty; poverty
Volume:10
Issue:2
Page Number:15
First Page:87
Last Page:101
HeBIS-PPN:481937943
Institutes:Gesellschaftswissenschaften / Gesellschaftswissenschaften
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 30 Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie / 300 Sozialwissenschaften
3 Sozialwissenschaften / 34 Recht / 340 Recht
3 Sozialwissenschaften / 38 Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr / 380 Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht