Open World: The Truth About Globalisation (Paperback)

Whilst he raises interesting issues (e.g. the real extent of US cultural impact globally), on a macro level, the book contains none of the thoughtfulness or insightfulness of analyses by commentators such as Hutton, Chomsky or Friedman and reads rather like a university thesis, rooted in traditional theories of economics rather than realpolitik. Surprisingly, for example, in this sort of book, there is no real discussion of US economic and political hegemony which is pretty remiss to say the least.

On a micro level, there is a plethora of texts on each each of subjects he raises ranging from the popular (Eric Schlosser, Fran Abrams) to the academic (e.g. on global standards for human rights) which provide much more thorough, detailed and on-the-ground analysis and which often contradict Legrain's theories. There are many, many examples of this through the book, but to pick one at random, in his review of whether major corporations are in a position to take unfair advantage of their size (whether financial, environmentally or vis-a-vis consumers and employees) one of his four mitigating items is that these companies have to comply with many government regulations and therefore are prevented from doing so. To support this, he notes that "the Federal Register, which lists US government regulations is 70,000 pages long"... and that's it for your analysis. No consideration as to the extent of compliance, what constitutes compliance, whether companies can successfully breach regulations etc. This is a crucial failing of book given that if the majority of theories and principles are not necessarily applied or adhered to properly in practice, then his analysis of the actual impact of globalisation is seriously flawed.

In short, buy this book if you want a quick snapshot of alternative thinking to traditional globalisation but do not buy it for any thoughtful analysis of the subject.

Although an economist, Legrain's argument is as clear and understandable to the layman as to the expert. Free trade, he points out, enables countries to concentrate their resources on industries in which they can specialise, increasing productivity and, with it, directly contributing to the removal of poverty. Not only is it beneficial to the third world, it also aids Western growth by shifting jobs towards higher-value industries. Protectionism, he argues, is no defender of jobs; in fact, it imposes a regressive charge on the taxpayer in keeping prices high while closing markets to the countries which desperately need access to them. He also directly attacks the misconceptions and inaccuracies promoted by the likes of Klein, for instance her bizarre assertion that the financial crisis of 1998 wiped out the Asian tiger economies and rendered their achievements worthless.

Unlike some pro-globalisation books, Legrain's viewpoint is emphatically that of the liberal-left; he believes globalisation can be used as a positive tool to work towards common goals to the benefit of all. He harbours no illusions that the current constitution of globalisation is perfect; in particular, he criticises the WTO's TRIPS agreement for enforcing rich-world drugs patents in countries which desperately need, but cannot afford, medicine. He also censures the IMF for its universalist strictures on the opening of capital flows, the case for which, he argues, must be kept separate from that for free trade.

As an argument, this book is highly convincing. It has been noted by others that Legrain's writing is of an easy tabloid style. This is true, but this book deserves to be popular and reads punchily and effectively. A purely structural problem is sometimes that the 'travelogue' parts of the book are somewhat uneasily fitted around the informational and polemical sections, but they do not lessen its overall impact on the reader.

I highly recommend Open World for anyone of internationalist principles who wish to read a lucid argument in favour of the role of trade in enriching rich and developing worlds alike.