FTIS 2008 (Fair Trade International Symposium)

Fair Trade and Development:

Conceptualizing the Possibilities and Analysing the Practice(s)

REED D., Business & Society Program, YorkUniversity, Toronto, Canada

Abstract

Fair Trade is widely considered to be one of the most significant developments in the practice of development over the last several decades.Exactly what the contributions of FT to development are, might be and should be, however, remain topics of contention.This situation is not surprising given two basic ambiguities inherent in this discussion.On the one hand, there is the fact that the notion of development is highly contested – both with regard to what the goals of development should be and what strategies will be most effective in bringing about these goals.On the other hand, the practice of FT has become even more heterogeneous since the introduction of certification and increased corporate participation.This paper draws upon global value chain analysis and development theory to construct a conceptual map of how different practices of FT align with different understandings of development .