Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables ix A Note on Translations xi Acknowledgments xiii Abbreviations xvii Part I: Introduction and Theoretical Framework Chapter One: Visions of Free Trade 3 Chapter Two: Institutions, Politics, and the Making of Regional Markets 29 Part II: The Evolution of Law and Society in the EU, Mercosur, and NAFTA Chapter Three: The Use of Regional Law to Standardize Reality 63 Chapter Four: The Targets and Content of Regional Law 101 Chapter Five: Societal Adjustments to Integration 148 Part III: Conclusion Chapter Six: Reflections on the Present and Future 185 Appendix 211 References 217 Index 241

Promotional Information

In this pathbreaking book, Francesco Duina smartly challenges conventional wisdom on globalization, contrasting economic visions of integration with social understandings of how markets work. By comparing three different regional trade agreements, the book provides exceptional insight into how global models are adopted and vary around the world. The case studies on the standardization of reality are original and refreshing, and the book's rigorous analysis of law will be compelling reading for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. -- John K. Glenn, Director of Foreign Policy, German Marshall Fund of the United States The Social Construction of Free Trade is a brilliant book that is poised to be a classic. It contains an astonishing amount of empirical material and a striking methodology, stands alone in comparing the three markets in question, possesses original ideas, is powerfully informed theoretically, and is beautifully written. -- John A. Hall, McGill University, coauthor of "Is America Breaking Apart?" This is a very important and well-written book. It argues, contrary to much of the current literature, that transnational regional markets did not arise naturally or spontaneously. Nor did they converge on a common model. Instead, they were socially constructed through a process of political bargaining, struggle, and negotiation. To my knowledge, this is the first book that compares the development of different regional markets. It is a must read for sociologists, political scientists, economists, and others who are interested in globalization, comparative political economy, economic sociology, and how regional markets are created and operate. -- John Campbell, Dartmouth College, author of "Institutional Change and Globalization"

About the Author

Francesco Duina is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bates College and Visiting Professor at the International Center for Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School. He is the author of "Harmonizing Europe: Nation States within the Common Market".

Reviews

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2006 "Duina's contribution fills an important void in the literature on comparative markets and politics... [It] helps pry open a welcome discussion about the contingencies behind the prevailing paths of regional trade agreements."--Michael Dreiling, Contemporary Sociology "In this era of globalization, most literature on regional trade agreements (RTAs) assumes RTAs are a general embrace of the principle of free trade. However, this pathbreaking study shows they are remarkably different creations, stemming from unique historical, social, and cultural contexts that have a distinctive impact on their legal regimes."--Choice "This book makes a powerful case for the thesis that the logic of late 20th century and early 21st century international trade involves far more than relative price convergence stemming from globalization. Indeed, it makes a strong case for asserting that the regional is trumping the global, market integration taking a back seat to increasingly powerful and regional distinctiveness--in law, in society and in politics."--Carl Mosk, Journal of International Trade & Economic Development "For the reader who seeks to understand the complex challenges facing drafters of (and administrators within) [regional trade agreements]... Duina has written a thoughtful book that pushes the reader to pay attention to the legal and organizational structures of RTAs, and the paths that the RTA have followed and will follow in the future."--Mira Wilkens, International History Review "There is a growing literature on the recent wave of regionalization, but few articles or books compare emerging regional trade association (RTAs). In The Social Construction of Free Trade, Francesco Duina provides one of the most systematic comparisons to date, one that focuses on the EU, NAFTA, and Mercosur... [This book] is a worthy pioneering effort toward illustrating the potential of comparative work on regional-bloc formation."--Juan Diez Medrano, American Journal of Sociology