peculiar commodity, labor-power," who meet in a marketplace to trade their respective
possessions. They get together as equals in order to do this transaction, but then:
“On leaving this sphere of simple circulation or of exchange
of commodities, which furnishes the “Free-trader Vulgaris”
with his views and ideas, and with the standard by which he
judges a society based on capital and wages, we think we can
perceive a change in the physiognomy of our dramatis
personae. He, who before was the money-owner, now strides
in front as capitalist; the possessor of labor-power follows as
his laborer. The one with an air of importance, smirking,
intent on business; the other, timid and holding back, like
one who is bringing his own hide to market and has nothing
to expect but — a hiding.” (p. 280)
This thesis attempts to understand how the closest form of Marx's ideal society can
be achieved by implementing fair trade initiatives and understand the essential problems
rooted within David Ricardo's theory of comparative advantage and specialization which
is seen as the most straight and basic definition of free trade (Ricardo, 1817). Under a free
trade regime, restrictions like tariffs, quotas, and sanctions are not in place, and to
maximize output while minimizing input costs, it emphasizes a cost-benefit analysis of
manufacturing only. However, Marxist ideas like reliance and exploitation can be traced
back to the fair trade doctrine (Eisenberg 2005).
To improve trading circumstances, fair trade primarily aims to strengthen
cooperation, conversation, transparency, and respect. To ensure that mass productions,
especially factories producing on FDIs, produce under conditions of no child labor,
environmental sustainability, strict labor standards, and various regulations to ensure
worker safety, fair trade advocates work to encourage states to practice policy autonomy
and establish their own ideal labor and environmental standards (Fridell, 2006). In a