A Financial Times Best Economics Book of the Year A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year A Fareed Zakaria GPS Book of the Week “A highly intelligent, fact-based defense of the virtues of an open, competitive economy and society.” —Fareed Zakaria “A vitally important corrective to the current populist moment...Open points the way to a kinder, gentler version of globalization that ensures that the gains are shared by all.” —Justin Wolfers “Clausing’s important book lays out the economics of globalization and, more important, shows how globalization can be made to work for the vast majority of Americans. I hope the next President of the United States takes its lessons on board.” —Lawrence H. Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury “Makes a strong case in favor of foreign trade in goods and services, the cross-border movement of capital, and immigration. This valuable book amounts to a primer on globalization.” —Richard N. Cooper, Foreign Affairs Critics on the Left have long attacked open markets and free trade agreements for exploiting the poor and undermining labor, while those on the Right complain that they unjustly penalize workers back home. Kimberly Clausing takes on old and new skeptics in her compelling case that open economies are actually a force for good. Turning to the data to separate substance from spin, she shows how international trade makes countries richer, raises living standards, benefits consumers, and brings nations together. At a time when borders are closing and the safety of global supply chains is being thrown into question, she outlines a clear agenda to manage globalization more effectively, presenting strategies to equip workers for a modern economy and establish a better partnership between labor and the business community.

Free trade, indeed economic globalization generally, is under siege. The conventional arguments for protectionism have been discredited but not banished. And free trade faces strong new challenges from a variety of groups, including environmentalists and human rights activists as well as traditional lobbies who wrap their agendas in the language of justice and rights. These groups, claiming a general interest and denouncing free trade as a special interest of corporations and other capitalist forces, have organized large and vocal protests in Seattle, Prague, and elsewhere. Based on his acclaimed Stockholm lectures and picking up where his widely influential Protectionism left off, Jagdish Bhagwati applies critical insights from revolutionary developments in commercial policy theory--many his own--to show how the pursuit of social and environmental agendas can be creatively reconciled with the pursuit of free trade. Indeed, he argues that free trade, by raising living standards, can serve these agendas far better than can a descent into trade sanctions and restrictions. After settling the score in favor of free trade, Professor Bhagwati considers alternative ways in which it can be pursued. Chiefly, he argues in support of multilateralism and advances a withering critique of recent bilateral and regional free trade agreements (including NAFTA) as preferential arrangements that introduce growing chaos into the world trading system. He also makes a strong case for "going it alone" on the road to trade liberalization and endorses the reemergence of unilateral liberalization at points around the globe. Forcefully, elegantly, and clearly written for the public by one of the foremost economic thinkers of our day, this volume is not merely accessible but essential reading for anyone interested in economic policy or in the world economy.

Mary Roach meets Bill Bryson in this "surefire summer winner" (Janet Maslin, New York Times), an uproarious tour of the basest instincts and biggest mysteries of the animal world Humans have gone to the Moon and discovered the Higgs boson, but when it comes to understanding animals, we've still got a long way to go. Whether we're seeing a viral video of romping baby pandas or a picture of penguins "holding hands," it's hard for us not to project our own values -- innocence, fidelity, temperance, hard work -- onto animals. So you've probably never considered if moose get drunk, penguins cheat on their mates, or worker ants lay about. They do -- and that's just for starters. In The Truth About Animals, Lucy Cooke takes us on a worldwide journey to meet everyone from a Colombian hippo castrator to a Chinese panda porn peddler, all to lay bare the secret -- and often hilarious -- habits of the animal kingdom. Charming and at times downright weird, this modern bestiary is perfect for anyone who has ever suspected that virtue might be unnatural.

Phosphate Rock: An Industry in Transition takes an interdisciplinary approach to dealing with the phosphate rock chain and its exploration, extraction, processing, fertilizer making, and storage and transportation. The book treats the subject from a global perspective, giving readers insights into what is happening in the emerging economies of the world and possible solutions to problems. It also provides all the parameters necessary to evaluate economic viability of undertaking a mining venture, taking into consideration demands of sustainable mining – social responsibly, environmental pollution control measures, community development, and precautions necessary for ensuring health and safety in the hazardous conditions of mining operations. In recent years, supply chain management has grown in importance as it forms tighter links in integration of key business processes from initial extraction of raw phosphate rock to end customers through different stages of process techniques. The book surveys the changes in technology, including many game-changing innovations that could transform mining. - Presents a purposive classification of resources, status of global phosphate rock reserves, and their life-indices - Covers mining conditions and possibilities of improvement in methods of exploration and environmental impact - Includes economic considerations for resource assessment, mining, quality control and supply problems

Reformer, intellectual, colonial governor, Sir John Bowring (1792–1872) was the archetype of the ambitious men who made Britain the leading global power in the 19th century. Born to a modest trading family, he showed an aptitude for languages which led him to literature, then to radical politics in the struggles for liberty in France, Spain and Greece. Taken up by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham, he became a figure in the literary world. But his emphasis was on action rather than theories. He became a high-profile advocate of free trade and a liberal foe of Karl Marx. As member of parliament he supported full suffrage and other radical causes. He modernized Britain’s public accounts, invented the florin as a first step to decimalization, and became an industrial entrepreneur. Losing his money in the 1848 slump, he took a job as consul in Canton, which led to the governorship of Hong Kong. As Britain’s plenipotentiary in East Asia he negotiated a key treaty with King Mongkut of Siam but also started a war with China. His term as Governor of Hong Kong (1854–59) was plagued with problems. But there as elsewhere he left a legacy of liberal ideas. Bowring’s impact was spread over so many fields that his name has been eclipsed by those with a narrower focus. This book brings his life and disparate achievements together, with a particular emphasis on his role in promoting free trade and his much criticized career in Asia. “John Bowring (1792–1872) was one of the most interesting and influential of Hong Kong’s Governors. The career of this polymath exemplified an understanding of the relationship between economic and political freedom. This scholarly and very readable biography, written by one of Asia’s most distinguished journalists, shows how free trade became part of Hong Kong’s DNA.” —Chris Patten, Governor of Hong Kong, 1992–97 “Biographers shun polymaths. As a linguistic genius, free-wheeling entrepreneur, hymnist, colonial governor, Oriental plenipotentiary and the champion of self-determination, freedom of conscience and, above all, free trade, Bowring has had to wait nearly 150 years for a comprehensive but candid account that does justice to his extraordinary range of achievements. That it comes from a kinsman with an equal breadth of vision is an added bonus.” —John Keay, author of China: A History and The Honourable Company: A History of the English East India Company “One hundred and forty years after his death, John Bowring finally has the biography his eventful and enterprising life deserves. From the pages of this fast-paced and well-written biography, Bowring emerges not as the heinous villain who tricked Britain into launching a nasty imperialist war against China in 1858, but as a multifaceted character dedicated to political reform, religious freedom, and above all free trade. Philip Bowring acknowledges that John Bowring was vain, prone to overhasty action, and lacking in judgment, but also that he lived his life by the ideas for which he stood, had an astonishing command of foreign languages, was a dedicated family man, and made an impact throughout East and Southeast Asia which is still felt in many ways today. This is a remarkable book on a remarkable life.” —Hans van de Ven, Professor of Modern Chinese History, Cambridge University