Fair trade marketing gives consumers the option of paying higher prices for imported goods so that developing world producers can have a decent standard of living. This article conceptualizes the fair trade movement as a system for globalization and economic development different from that carried out by the conventional marketing of multinational corporations. It investigates the philosophical principles of fair trade and compares them to the ideologies of antiglobalization, marketing management, ethical sourcing, and ethical consumerism. The article also describes the institutional networks of fair trade marketing and explores some implications of this system for producers, consumers, and companies.

By Terrence H.Witkowski