Fair Trade: Altruism, or Egoism?

Is the trade with developing countries unfair? Does paying a higher price make it fair? How do consumers in the North know what they actually pay for? Is it possible for fair-traders to deceive them? Are Fair Trade products of better quality, as they are advertised? The intention of the consumers is to help the southerners break free from exploitation and poverty – is this intention fulfilled? And what about public policies promoting Fair Trade, do they help? If you, too, have asked yourself these questions, then this book is the right one for you. It questions the very concept of Fair Trade, analyzes the better-quality argument, discusses the social-justice aspect, describes the huge asymmetry of information between the farmers and the customers, and looks at the public policies that promote Fair Trade. Each of these regards is put into context with the egoism/altruism of the respective agents, thus explaining their motivations and why they engage in Fair Trade.