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Informationen zum Autor James Wiley Klappentext The banana is the world's most important fresh fruit commodity. Little more than a century old, the global banana industry began in the late 1880s as a result of technological advances such as refrigerated shipping, which facilitated the transportation of this highly perishable good to distant markets. Since its inception the banana industry has been fraught with controversy, exhibiting many of the issues underlying the basic global economic relations that first emerged in the era of European colonialism. Perhaps more than any other agricultural product, the banana reflects the evolution of the world economy. At each stage changes in the global economy manifested themselves in the economic geography of banana production and trade. This remains true today as neoliberal imperatives drive the globalization process and mandate freer trade, influencing the patterns of the transatlantic banana trade. The Banana demystifies the banana trade and its path toward globalization. It reviews interregional relationships in the industry and the changing institutional framework governing global trade and assesses the roles of such major players as the European Union and the World Trade Organization. It also analyzes the forces driving today's economy, such as the competitiveness imperative, diversification processes, and niche market strategies. Its final chapter suggests how the outcome of the recent banana war will affect bananas and trade in other commodities sectors as well. The Banana belies the common perception of globalization as a monolithic and irresistible force and reveals instead various efforts to resist or modify the process at local and national levels. Nevertheless, the banana does represent another step toward a globalized and industrialized agricultural economy. Zusammenfassung The banana is the world's most important fresh fruit commodity. Little more than a century old! the global banana industry began in the late 1880s. The Banana demystifies the banana trade and its path toward globalization. It reviews interregional relationships in the industry and the changing institutional framework governing global trade and assesses the roles of major players. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionAbbreviations Part 1. A Banana Plantation Model Emerges in Latin America1. The Creation of the Banana Empire, 1900-19302. The Empire Challenged, 1930-743. The End of Splendid Isolation, 1974-93 Part 2. The Caribbean Banana Industries4. Peasant Farmer Societies: Commonwealth Caribbean Bananas5. Belize, Suriname, and the French West Indies: On the Margins of the Caribbean Part 3. The Changing Framework of the International Banana Trade6. The Single European Market and the Western Hemisphere's Banana Industries7. Neocolonialism Encounters the Free Trade Imperative8. The World Trade Organization and the Banana Trade9. The U.S.-EU Banana War Heats Up Part 4. Globalization10. Pursuit of an Elusive Goal11. Implications for the Future NotesReferencesIndex...
