In Defense Of Global Capitalism
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''In Defense of Global Capitalism'' (in
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
: ''Till världskapitalismens försvar'') is a book by
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
writer Johan Norberg promoting economic globalization and free trade. The book was originally published in May 2001 by the Swedish think tank
Timbro Timbro is a liberal think tank and publishing company located in Stockholm, Sweden. In its present form Timbro was founded in 1978 by Sture Eskilsson and the Swedish Employers’ Association, a precursor to the Confederation of Swedish Enterpris ...
. Since then, a number of translations into other languages have followed. In the book, Norberg examines the arguments put forward by the anti-globalization movement. According to Norberg, "the diffusion of capitalism in the last decades has lowered
poverty rates Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse ...
and created opportunities for individuals all over the world.
Living standards Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
and life expectancy has risen fast in most places. World hunger,
infant mortality Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
, and inequality have diminished. This is because of economic and technological development that is the result of free market policies. The poor countries that have liberalized their economies have shown impressive results, while those that have not are stuck in deep misery. Therefore, we need more capitalism and globalisation if we want a better world, not less". As of 2008, the book has been translated into a dozen of languages including: English, German, Dutch, Turkish, Estonian, French, Finnish, Spanish, Chinese, Polish, and Czech. Additional translations are available in Arabic, Russian and Mongolian. The book was also the basis for the Channel 4 2003 documentary film '' Globalisation is Good'', which was presented by Norberg.


Reviews

Nick Gillespie, editor-in-chief of '' Reason'', wrote on the book: "A powerful moral and economic case for globalization. Norberg throws rhetorical Molotov cocktails both at left-wing critics who would condemn developing countries to poverty by insisting on First World workplace and environmental standards as a prerequisite for trade and at Western governments whose free market rhetoric is shamefully undercut by draconian tariffs on textiles and agriculture, the two areas in which the developing world can actually compete."
Samuel Brittan Sir Samuel Brittan (29 December 1933 – 12 October 2020) was an English journalist and author. He was the first economics correspondent for the ''Financial Times'', and later a long-time columnist. He was a member of the Academic Advisory Council ...
of '' Financial Times'' wrote: "Giving clear and verifiable sources, he nails one by one the fallacies and selective statistics that are used by the anti-capitalist protesters." Anne Applebaum of '' Washington Post'' wrote: "Johan Norberg makes the case that free trade is good for the developing world, good for freedom, good for social progress, even if the dull old Marxists refuse to see it. It can be no accident that not one but two glamorous young pro-capitalists have emerged in Europe over the past year. orberg and France's Sabine Herold">Sabine_Herold.html" ;"title="orberg and France's Sabine Herold">orberg and France's Sabine Herold...the [anti-globalization] movement has in recent years provided a cushion for those politicians – European, American, Japanese and developing world alike – who drag their feet about opening markets. Maybe now, if the young, the hip and the free-thinking start pushing the other way, the ministers in their suits will be forced to listen too". Ben Stein, former speechwriter for U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon and
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
, wrote: "Johan Norberg's book is a stunningly insightful, brilliantly detailed refutation of the crank theories of the anti-globalists. ''In Defense of Global Capitalism'' is a shining example of what a gifted mind can do working with the truth to advance the cause of capitalism, which in the end is the cause of every decent man and woman". William H. Peterson of '' Washington Times'' wrote: "I hail him orbergfor making his case for globalization with solid facts, statistics, bar-charts, and lots of flesh-and-blood examples drawn from his travels." Dave O'Brien of ''
Winnipeg Free Press The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as ...
'' called Norberg "Europe's answer to our own Naomi Klein" and Jacqueline Thorpe of the Canadian ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with M ...
'' wrote: "It is a sweet irony that the task of defending global capitalism from the likes of Canada´s own Naomi 'No Logo' Klein has fallen on the shoulders of a pony-tailed Swede who started out as an anarchist obsessed with goth music and black clothes. But it is a role Johan Norberg, author of In Defence of Global Capitalism and at 30, every bit as good-looking as left-wing pin-up Ms Klein, has easily morphed into. ...His book, which won the Antony Fisher Memorial Award in 2002, counters anti-globalization arguments with facts, figures, but mostly common sense". Former chairman of the National Bank of Poland Leszek Balcerowicz wrote: "The liberal cause has obtained a powerful communicator, Mr Johan Norberg from Sweden. He combines mastery of facts and a deep understanding of theories, with the gift of lucid and emotionally moving argumentation." Swedish Professor of Philosophy and socialist
Torbjörn Tännsjö Ulf Torbjörn Harald Tännsjö (; born 13 December 1946 in Västerås) is a Swedish professor of philosophy and public intellectual. He has held a chair in Practical Philosophy at Stockholm University since 2002 and he is Affiliated Professor of M ...
wrote: "Johan Norberg has written an agreeable book in defence of capitalism and globalisation... Even in labour movement discussion circles I think it would repay close study".


Awards


References


External links


JohanNorberg.net – In Defence of Global Capitalism
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060709225428/http://www.johannorberg.net/?page=indefense , date=2006-07-09
Timbro – Till världskapitalismens försvar
(also downloadable a
pdf

Cato Institute – In Defence of Global Capitalism
2001 non-fiction books Non-fiction books adapted into films Swedish books Books about globalization Books about capitalism Libertarian books Libertarianism in Sweden Cato Institute Free trade