| About the Globalisation Institute |
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The Globalisation Institute is a European free-market think tank. Our approach involves "policy engineering" - the development of practical policy options that recognise political realities - backed up by the promotion of those ideas. Our main areas of interest involve developing policies that increase competitiveness, replace harmful regulation, harness enterprise to fight global poverty, promote a positive, pro-technology approach to the environment, and increase world trade. We are philosophically ‘liberal’, in the European sense of the word, favouring a combination of free markets with individual liberty. Our intellectual influences include the Manchester School anti-Corn Law campaigners like Richard Cobden and John Bright; French economists Jean-Baptist Say and Frederic Bastiat; and Austrian economists like Carl Menger. We were officially launched at a reception at Soho House in London in June 2005 with speeches by Bill Emmott, Editor of the Economist, and Alan Beattie, World Trade Editor of the Financial Times. Putting the case for globalisation in Europe
But globalisation has serious opposition. As Mike Eskew, the CEO of UPS, has said: "Everyone who believes in free and fair trade is in risk of losing a significant battle. There is a small but vocal anti-globalisation movement that has pushed its message forward with great force and tenacity." Because globalisation is often demonised, its benefits are often not understood. Moreover, the losers from globalisation tend to be in specific industries that are vocal. The 2001 introduction of steel tariffs in the US had the clear benefit of helping the steel industry. But being allowed to buy the cheapest steel is good for the US economy as a whole, even through the benefits are spread wider, both geographically throughout the US and among a wider range of companies. Similarly, European farmers have a strong voice, while the benefits of ending the Common Agricultural Policy, while larger, are spread across Europe more thinly. We favour a European Union which pursues the path of opening markets to other economies; which welcomes change and the dynamism of the market economy; which welcomes rather than fears tax competition; and which expands the single market into services. A force for good in international development
Yet in many poor countries, there are important problems that need to be addressed. Civil wars, poor governance, economic exclusion through informal property rights, and too little investment all hinder prosperity. These problems need constructive solutions, and ones that progress beyond simple slogans and gesturing. We work towards practical, enterprise-based policies that governments and international institutions can adopt in order that poor countries can take advantage of the benefits of globalisation. We recognise that business and NGOs have often been suspicious of each other, but we believe that welcoming business is essential to fighting poverty. If we want to be effective in defeating poverty we need to engage - not dismiss - the champions of growth. |
Globalisation is a major contributor to economic growth here in Europe and in other rich parts of the world. Removing barriers to trade enable businesses and consumers to take advantage of lower costs. Tariffs and quotas do not just hinder developing country exporters, but also the economies of rich countries.
We believe that globalisation is a force for good in the fight against global poverty. Only by integrating the poorest into the world economy can we put an end to the poverty that still blights much of world today. Globalisation has enabled China to lift 160m people out of poverty, and millions have been lifted out of poverty in India, too.