ABSTRACT

Itiswidelyacceptedthattradeopenness,theinternationalmovementoffactorsof production,andtheinternationalcirculationofinformationhavestimulatedthe economicandpoliticalprogressofnations.Atthesametime,someexpertsbelieve thisincreasedeconomicinterrelationhasalsoledtowidermarginalisationand inequality(TriulziandMontalbano1997).Thischapterarguesthatthesephenomena havenotonlyincreasedglobalinequalitiesbuthavealsocausedgreaterriskexposure and,ingeneral,increasedfeelingsofvulnerability.Theseconsequenceshaveoccurred atdifferentlevels:workersinindustrialisedcountriescomplainaboutcompetition fromlowercostlabourersfromdevelopingcountries;likewise,workersinpoorer nationsarethreatenedbymultinationalcompaniesthatactwithoutconcernforlongtermdevelopmentobjectives;financialmarkets,aswell,feartheincreaseincostsand riskmarginstiedtointernationalfinancialcrises(Yusuf2001).