Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, 2Nd Ed

Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, 2nd ed.

Chapter by Chapter Questions for Content and Discussion

KING COTTON

Chapter 1: How America has Dominated the Global Cotton Industry for 200 Years

Questions for Content:

1.Consider the various risks faced by cotton growers each season. How are they different or similar to the risks faced in other businesses?

2. In the United States, 1,000 acres is capable of providing enough cotton lint to produce how many t-shirts per year?

3. Approximately how many countries around the world produce cotton? Are these countries predominantly in the developing or developed world?

4. By what measures does the United States dominate the world cotton industry today?

5. To what does Oxfam, the British NGO, attribute the dominance of American cotton growers?

6. Does the author agree with Oxfam? Explain.

7. Explain how and why cotton remains a “sticking point” in global trade negotiations.

8. Does the author consider the West Texas cotton growers she met to be “tradition bound”? Is tradition a strength or a weakness when competing in this industry?

Questions for Discussion:

1.Consider Oxfam’s position on US cotton subsidies as discussed on page 6. Do you believe that it is fair for the US to provide these subsidies? How does your answer change if other countries provide them as well?

2. Consider the risks associated with cotton farming that the author discusses on page 8. Discuss how these risks might be mitigated by the farmers themselves and by government policies.

Chapter 2: Winning by Ducking the Labor Markets

Questions for Content:

1. Which country was the world’s leading cotton producer throughout most of the 19th century? Which country was largest consumer of cotton?
2. During the period leading up to the Civil War, was U.S. cotton farmed primarily for domestic or foreign consumption?
3. According to the author, why did US cotton production so dramatically overtake production in other areas of the world in the period preceding the Civil War?

4. How did the institution of slavery affect the risks faced by cotton plantation owners?

5. What were the challenges associated with relying on a traditional labor market in producing cotton in the pre-Civil War period?

6. Consider 2 different labor “systems” in cotton production: the “company town” and sharecropping. (a) Briefly explain each system. (b) What features do these systems have in common? (c) In what ways did these systems benefit US cotton producers? (d) Why did the unpredictability of the weather favor such systems, from the perspective of the cotton grower?

7. Consider Eli Whitney’s experience. Why do you think he was willing to devote time to inventing the cotton gin?

8. The author writes on page 18, “All of the EliWhitney’s in China had no reason to try…” Explain the lesson implicit in this statement for communities and countries that wish to encourage innovation.

9. How did the America South cope with the loss of its slave labor at the conclusion of the Civil War?

Questions for Discussion

1.Consider the discussion at the beginning of the chapter about the role of technology and consumer demand in the Industrial Revolution. Can you think of groups that might have been opposed to the new technology? Why?

2. On page 13 the author discusses a number of ways that the plantation owners were able to improve the productivity of the farms. Can you think of similar management policies that are in place today in any companies that you are familiar with?

3. What do you think the author means by the term “property rights” on page 18? Why might property rights be important in the functioning of an economy?

Chapter 3: Back at the Reinsch Farm

Questions for Content

1. How have academic institutions contributed to the competitiveness of the Texas cotton industry?

2. What influence did the cotton labor cycle and cultural factors have on the mechanization of cotton production in different regions of the American South?

3. What actions and programs did the U.S. government take and institute in the 1940s to address the labor shortages facing cotton growers in the South? Did these actions alleviate the concerns of Southern cotton farmers?

4. What was the U.S. government’s intention when it passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act as part of the New Deal? How did the program affect sharecroppers like Ned Cobb?

5. Which invention once and for all freed US cotton farmers from their dependence from the risks of erratic labor supply and availability? Conversely, what new problems did this invention introduce?

6. How widespread is mechanized cotton picking in the developing world? Why is this the case?

7. What does the author mean when she writes of the “virtuous circle”?

8. What repercussions did the introduction of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready cotton have on the cotton industry in the 1990s?

9. In 2007 what percentage of US cotton acreage was planted with GM cotton?

10.What are the risks that were addressed by the Bracero program? Who did this program benefit?

11. Why did Ned Cobb give up cotton farming?

12. Describe the latest generation of cotton stripping technology.

13. It’s advocates argue that genetic modification can solve many of the environmental challenges faced by agriculture. How or why might this be the case?

Questions for Discussion

1.Consider the story of the Texas Tech seal at the beginning of the chapter. How does this story support the broader point that the author develops in this chapter?

2. Discuss how the traditions of the Deep South have hampered the region’s cotton producers in comparison to their counterparts in west Texas. How might cultural differences contribute to different levels of success in this industry or other industries?

3.GM food is widespread in the US. Are you comfortable consuming GM food? Do you believe it should be labeled? Why or why not?

4. Would you prefer to be a Bracero worker or a sharecropper? Why?

5. Would you pay more for a T-shirt made of organic cotton? Why or why not?

Chapter 4: All God’s Danger Ain’t the Subsidies

Questions for Content:

1. Besides the white lint used for t-shirt production, what by-products are produced in cotton farming? What uses do these by-products have?

2. Why have US exports of cottonseed oil to the EU fallen precipitously in recent years?

3.Until the 1970s, Texas cotton was considered to be of low quality. How did Texas cotton farmers address buyer concerns about quality Texas cotton?

4. What advantages are there for the Texas cotton farmer in joining an organization such as the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA)?

5.Explain how cotton is graded or “classed” in the United States today. What advantages does this system have for the farmer when compared to the traditional method of grading cotton?

6. Is cotton classing in the US primarily a private or public sector activity? Explain.

7. Describe the impact of U.S. agricultural subsidies on:

a. the incomes of US cotton farmers

b. the U.S. taxpayer

c. cotton growers in other countries

8.Give several examples of parties who voiced opposition to the 2007 Farm Bill. What were the objections?

9. How was the 2007 Farm Bill passed in the face of widespread opposition?

10. Was the initial introduction of Bt cotton to China a success? Explain.

Questions for Discussion

1.Consider the economic impact of U.S. cotton subsidies on farmers in other countries. Do you think that the US government has a moral obligation to consider these impacts when implementing policies such as the Farm Bill?

2. Do you think that it fair that EU blocks US cottonseed oil imports? Why or why not?

3. Discuss the challenges associated with the implementation of GM technology in developing countries.

4. The author draws a number of parallels between the life of Ned Cobb, the Alabama sharecropper, and cotton growers in poor countries today. Discuss both the similarities and differences between the life of a southern sharecropper in 1920 and a cotton farmer in a developing country today.

5. Do you think the growing demand for organic cotton presents an opportunity for poor country cotton growers? Why or why not? What advantages might these growers have over their US competition? What disadvantages?

6. Assess the Texas growers’ entry into the denim business as a business decision. What factors might make this a profitable move? What factors might argue against this development?

7. Do you think that US cotton growers have historically had too much political power? Too little? Explain.

8. Consider the discussion of cotton farming in West Africa beginning on page 65. Do you think the challenges that the author describes are best met by the public sector or the private sector?

9.Besides the technical achievement of accurate classing of cotton, do you think that HVI cotton classing and similar technologies that replace human judgment with technology can address social problems such as, for example, racial discrimination?

PART 2: MADE IN CHINA

Chapter 5: Cotton Comes to China

Questions for Content:

1. Why has Chinese demand for American cotton increased in recent years? What role does the US consumer play in generating this demand?

2. Explain the “race to the bottom” argument employed by the anti-globalization movement.

3. What part of the T-shirt manufacturing process has proven the most difficult to mechanize? How does this help to explain where T-shirts are produced?

4. The author writes that some consider the success of the Chinese textile and apparel industry to be a “failure.” Explain the rationale for this point of view.

5. In 2007, China sold ______cotton knit shirts to the United States.

6.Describe the trend in apparel prices during the last decade. Is this trend is related to international trade?

Questions for Discussion

1.Consider the sharp divide between the lifestyles of early Chinese millworkers and the wealthy of Shanghai (page 79-80). What social problems might this divide create? Can you think of parallels in more recent times?

2. What do you think the word “sweatshop” means? Are there jobs in your community that you would characterize this way? Who holds these jobs?

3. Consider the T-shirts sold in your college bookstore. Do you think the typical buyer thinks about how and where these T-shirts were produced?

4. The author suggests that in contrast to US cotton producers, countries traditionally dominate the textile industry for only a “fleeting moment.” Why might this be the case?

Chapter 6: The Long Race to the Bottom

Questions for Content:

1.The author writes (page 93) that “a choking bottleneck in the production of cotton cloth launched the modern world.” Explain this statement.

2. Why were women and children the preferred sources of labor for British textile factory owners?

3. What were the desired attributes or skills of the ideal worker in the early British textile industry?

4. Were these desired attributes similar for this industry in other countries?
5. What happened to the British cotton industry in the face of American competition?

6. When the US textile industry moved to the southern Peidmont region at the turn of the 20th century, which country was an important customer of the goods produced?

7. The author describes how dominance of the textile industry shifted geographically over time. What were the factorsthat drove this industry from one place to the next?

8. The author describes the textile industry as the “ignition switch.” Explain. What was ignited and how?

9. In general, were the ountries leading the textile industry at various points in time focused on the domestic or the international market?

Questions for Discussion:

1.Early observers of household textile production in China noted both the self-sufficiency and the flexibility of this production system. Discuss how these seemingly positive attributes might actually hamper commercial development.

2. Discuss how “bottlenecks,” a negative construct, might actually enhance commercial development and innovation in different settings.

3. Data presented in Chapter 5 showed that apparel prices in the US have decline markedly since 1999. In Chapter 6, we learn that cotton yarn prices in Britain declined sharply in the early 1800s. Were the causes of these price declines similar or different? Discuss.

4. It seems somewhat contradictory to suggest that England surpassed China in economic and industrial development by engaging in a “race to the bottom.” How is this apparent contradiction resolved?

Chapter 7: Sisters in Time

Questions for Content:

1. What is the Chinese hukou system and why was it originally developed?

2. Why did the Chinese government relax the hukou system in the 1980s? What have been the demographic implications of that decision?

3. Describe the role of the hukou system in industries such as textiles or construction.

4. Describe China’s Custody and Repatriation regulations. What burdens – legal, financial and social – did they place upon China’s “floating” population?

5. What are the effects on society of the mass employment of women in China’s factories? What were they for America and Britain?

6. The author notes that in each country, a paycheck was only one of the benefits for the women working in the factories. Outside of income, what were some of the other effects of factory work for young female workers?

7. Describe how the various regions that once led the textile industry have seen their industrial bases and economies evolve. In what ways did the early textile industries facilitate this later development?

Questions for Discussion:

1.Do you agree with Anita Chan’s assertion (page 107)that the hukou system is akin to South African apartheid? What might be some important similarities and differences?

2. Do you see the textile industry as an economic stepping stone for the poor and uneducated or an exploitative business? Can it be both?

3. What types of parallels are apparent when comparing the hukou system with other labor systems discussed earlier in the book such as the Bracero worker program or sharecropping? Compared to a more traditional labor market, who do such systems benefit and how?

4. Consider the Chapter title, “Sisters in Time.” After reading the chapter, what point do you think the title conveys?

5. Consider the impact of American demand for Chinese textiles has on migrant workers in China. Do you believe this overall impact is positive or negative?

6. The author quotes Professor Fei-Ling Wang: “It is the constant and continued sacrifice of the excluded majority that makes the Chinese economic miracle possible.” (page 109). Do you agree or disagree?

7. Consider Chi-Ying (page 113) and Sadie Frowne (page 114-115). What similarities are apparent in the outlook of the two young women?

Chapter 8: The Unwitting Conspiracy

Questions for Content:

1. Has labor activism been successful in improving the working conditions for factory workers in Britain and the United States? Cite examples.

2. What is the most widespread health and safety concern of today’s textile workers in developed countries? How does this differ from the health and safety environment for textile workers in the mid-1800s in England?

3. Explain the arguments and evidence that suggest that international trade creates

a. environmental problems

b. environmental solutions

4. What is the Workers Right Consortium? Why was it founded?

5. The author argues that the unwitting conspiracy that links trade to improved labor and environmental conditions “works better is some countries than in others” (page 135). What are some of the institutions that help better labor and environmental outcomes to be achieved?

6. Define theenvironmental Kuznets curve. How does the curve relate to the notion of the scale problem?

7. What is the role of “falsification engineers,” according to Alexandra Harney? What is a “5 star factory’?

8. While British researchers found that international trade had virtually no effect on the environmental profile of a T-shirt (page 131), the researchers also found that the largest potential for ameliorating the environmental damage from the T-shirt’s life cycle lies with the consumer. The consumer can cut the energy consumption in the T-shirt’s life cycle by more than half by taking what steps?

Questions for Discussion:

1.One the one hand, the author writes that labor activism and global capitalism are “opposing forces” but she also argues that the two forces are “cooperators, however unwitting” (page 121). How might you explain this apparent contradiction?

2. Discuss the parallels between Dr. Thomas Percival in early industrial Britain (page 122) and Georgetown student Ben Smith (page 127). In what ways is Smith’s work different because of early activists such as Dr. Percival?

3. The author writes on page 127, “Back at Georgetown, Bored is Good.” Discuss this statement in the context of the students’ anti-sweatshop activism.

4. Do you believe that corporations should be held responsible for labor conditions in their suppliers’ factories? Why or why not?