Even thought here are many advantages to having a free trade zone and being a part of one, there are still some disadvantages that make them notoriously known. In places like El Salvador, there is a widespread amount of young adults and children. Among the age groups of sixteen to twenty-four is the highest percentage of factory workers. According to a census taken back in 2012, there was approximately 6.2 million people living in El Salvador; 64.4% of those people are under the age of thirty-five years old. You would think that with all the saved money from lowered costs and tax cuts that giving a more substantial salary to workers would not be a problem. El Salvador, on its international free trade zone website, makes it a staple to include
that there is “skilled and abundant labor.” If there is so much skilled labor, why is that skilled labor not being payed a fair wage? There is indeed abundant labor but not what you would necessarily called skill. Most of the ‘abundant labor” is consisting of people who live in marginalized communities that would have no other way of income than to subject themselves to tedious and monotonous labor. Because of the injustices that occur within factories, which are the result of a corrupt government, labor unions arose. One of the most predominant unions is called FEASIES (Federation of Independent Associations and Unions of El Salvador). What they are specifically is a gender equality and labor rights activist group. Specifically, they are a “labor federation, which brings together six trade union organizations from the public and private sector, including workers in the informal sector. FEASIES was created in 1987 and is affiliated with the United Confederation of Salvadoran Workers.” Through their work and advocacy, they have made strides to improve worker conditions in factories. One of their most recent accomplishments was the implantation of breast-feeding centers for women who are nursing and otherwise would not have time to nurse their children at work. There are many more issues that they try to eliminate or change in the workforce: violence against women, food security, and bilingual education. If there was not a problem within these countries, and corporations were not taking advantage of their workers, unions would not form and would not be advocating for justifiable compensation and treatment. It is a problem that must be addressed and eliminated if free trade zones should wish to continue on.
Growing up in a developing country has really open up my mind about setting up for a better future. My home in El Salvador wasn't the most lavishness, but it's also not the worst. I grew up in a house with two levels; three bedrooms on the top floor, one on the bottom, a garage and laundry room at the lower level, and a small sale shop at the front of the house. Growing up in this home has been a meaningful place for me. Its where I found my sense of place.
War and violence in Central America is a result of governmental injustice due to the United States’ foreign policies. The United States supported El Salvador with weapons and money throughout the civil war. As a result of enforcing these policies, El Salvador’s poverty, population and crime rate increased. The books “…After…” by Carolina Rivera Escamilla and “The Tattooed Soldier” by Hector Tobar give us a glimpse of the issues Central Americans faced.
During 1979-1992 El Salvador was engaged in a civil war, with the government fighting the rural indigenous citizens. Violence and gang culture were taking over the country and creating a cycle that can’t be easily broken. El Salvador’s citizens were searching for new power, opportunities, and a way out of poverty.
El Salvador (The republic of The Savior) is known to be the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. San Salvador has been announced as the Capital City. It is considered to an important cultural and commercial center for the whole Central America. It borders with Guatemala, Honduras, The Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Fonseca. It’s the only country in this region not on the Caribbean Sea.
The United States has for over two centuries been involved in the growing world economy. While the U.S. post revolutionary war sought to protect itself from outside influences has since the great depression and world war two looked to break trade restrictions. The United States role in the global economy has grown throughout the 20th century and as a result of several historical events has adopted positions of both benefactor and dependent. The United States trade policy has over time shifted from isolationist protectionism to a commitment to establishing world-wide free trade. Free trade enterprise has developed and grown through organizations such as the WTO and NAFTA. The U.S. in order to obtain its free trade desires has implemented a number of policies that can be examined for both their benefits and flaws. Several trade policies exist as options to the United States, among these fair trade and free trade policies dominate the world economic market. In order to achieve economic growth the United States has a duty to maintain a global trade policy that benefits both domestic workers and industry. While free trade gives opportunities to large industries and wealthy corporate investors the American worker suffers job instability and lower wages. However fair trade policies that protect America’s workers do not help foster wide economic growth. The United States must then engage in economic trade policies that both protect the United States founding principles and secure for tomorrow greater economic stability.
El Salvador is a beautiful country with a big population of 6.4 million. The main ethnics are White, indigenous Indians, and Mestizo. Many Spaniards settled and married native Indians therefore making Mestizo (both European and Indian blood) a popular ethnic group. El Salvador’s main language is Spanish, but Nawat is a native language that is spoken by elder Salvadorians.
The city that I want to focus is Concepcion Quezaltepeque, Chalatenango El Salvador, which is the city I lived for many years in my life. This is one of the cities that is located in one of the smallest countries of Central America. Many years ago this city was in very bad shape, its infrastructures were weaker and the economy was too, but then a lot of people decided to travel to the United States in order to help their families to have a better life and to improve their houses, some of them even made new homes for their love ones. Also, around five years ago a new mayor was elected by the people, and this mayor and his colleagues did many good things for the city. For example, it created a program to give people materials that were used to
Since I moved from Honduras to Florida, it has been some difficult first months, by having problems that every person that arrives to a new country can easily understand. Back in Honduras, I was a “privileged” teen, a teen that there daily routine is going to school, go back home, study, do indoors recreation, and go to sleep. Our parents put us on such a bubble, that the reality of our society, topics aborted on the conflict theory (on the textbook and A Brief History of Sociology media link), such as, ghettos, violence, child abuse, and delinquency were ignored, focusing only in my personal problems. With the knowledge that I learned this week, made me realize that those “privileged” teens had fallen into a False Social Conscious. That is to say, I made an effort to cover a little bit about my background and the main reason why I moved out (crime and economy), making room for my current personal trouble that is adapting to the society of Sarasota, Florida with my circumstances like, origin, religion, language, culture and ethnicity.
...every corner of the globe. When those low costs occur as a result of inferior, and even illegal, working conditions, then sweatshops are a major global problem. A possible solution would be to change, or at least modify, the conditions under which sweatshops continue to function. Universal workers rights, with minimum age and minimum wages could be a solution. Still, certain countries will always have the advantage of low cost labor and will exploit that advantage in the international marketplace. However, the disparity between the great differences in labor cost can be lessened, but it can best be done by continuing to promote world free trade and continuing to improve the quality of life in developing nations, where low cost labor is most abundant.
Few governments will argue that the exchange of goods and services across international borders is a bad thing. However, the degree to which an international trading system is open may come into contest with a state’s ability to protect its interests. Free trade is often portrayed in a good light, with focus placed on the material benefits. Theoretically, free trade enables a distribution of resources across state lines. A country’s workforce may become more productive as it specializes in products that it has a comparative advantage. Free trade minimizes the chance that a market will have a surplus of one product and not enough of another. Arguably, comparative specialization leads to efficiency and growth.
All nations can get the benefits of free trade by being specialized in producing goods they have a comparative advantage and then trade them with goods produced by other nations in the world. This is evidenced by comparative advantage theory. Trade depends on many factors, country's history, institution, size and. geographical position and many more. Also, the countries put trade barriers for the exchange of their goods and services with other nations in order to protect their own company from foreign competition, or to protect consumers from undesirable products, or sometimes it may be inadvertent.
Living in a third-world country is not something I am particularly familiar with. My father, however, knows all too well what it is like to live in a place where people struggle to get food every day. Honduras is a country located in Central America, a region that is filled with poverty, crime, and gang activity. There is one thing that stands out about Honduras: it is beautiful. I went to visit my family in Honduras when I was young, and we visited a part of the country where the ancient civilizations of the Maya were located.
Free trade can be defined as the free access of the market by individuals without any restriction or any trade barriers that can obstruct the trade process such as taxes, tariffs and import quotas. Free trade in its own way unites and brings people together. Most individuals love the concept of free trade because it gives them the ability to move freely and interact in the market. The whole idea of free trade is that it lowers the price for goods and services by promoting competition. Domestic producers will no longer be able to rely on government law and other forms of assistance, including quotas which essentially force citizens to buy from them. The producers will have to enter the market and strive into to obtain profit.
Trade creation occurs when low cost producers within free trade area replace high cost domestic producers. These agreements create more opportunities for countries to trade with one another by removing the trade barriers and investment. Trade creation allows member countries for a wider selection of goods and services not previously available. They can acquire goods and services at a lower cost after trade barriers due to lowered tariffs or removal of tariffs which will encourage more trade between member countries the balance of money spend from cheaper goods and services, can be used to buy more products and services. Regional economic integration significantly contributes to the relatively high growth rates in the nation. By removing trade barriers between members countries the factor of production can be move
Free trade is a form of economic policy which allows countries to import and export goods among each other with no government interference. In recent years there has been a general consensus in economist’s stance on free trade. They view free trade as an asset. Free trade allows for an abundance of goods with increased varieties and increased availability. The products become cheaper for consumers and no one company monopolizes an industry. The system of free trade has been highly controversial. While free trade benefits consumers it has the potential to hurt manufacturers and businesses thus creating a debate between supporters of free trade and those with antagonistic positions.