A constant theme here at the Acton Institute is the idea that good intentions are not enough…they need to be connected to sound practice.
In a reflection on fair trade at WORLDmag.com, D. C. Innes commends Victor Claar’s monograph, Fair Trade? Its Prospects as a Poverty Solution.
Innes, an associate professor of politics at The King’s College in New York City, writes,
It’s admirable that people wish to better the lives of coffee growing peasants. I also applaud their use of private initiatives and organizations. But before scorning their neighbors for not sharing their means, and before trying to turn the world inside out and upside down on the basis of an adolescent “why not?” they should make sure that the vehicle they have chosen for their dreams actually does what it’s supposed to do, and doesn’t do more harm than good.
Check out Claar’s book for more on the intentions, challenges, and realities facing the fair trade movement.
