| The proliferation of neo-liberalism as a theoretical foundation for policymaking has become increasingly global. This is demonstrated particularly by the establishment and subsequent expansion of the World Trade Organization (WTO), an international body that governs the trade of goods and services throughout the world. The WTO has the power to create and implement policies regarding trade, though cannot be held directly accountable to the citizens of the world. As established, the WTO is designed to implement neo-liberal policies and ensure the freedom of the markets, despite a considerable body of academic work that indicates that neo-liberal principles do not ensure equality or prioritize social justice. Neoliberalism, built upon the foundation of neo-classical economic theory, is flawed by androcentrism as well as unrealistic and unfair theoretical assumptions. The extension of neo-liberalism, the WTO, is thus also flawed, and its policies exacerbate existing social problems such as inequality and limited access to necessary services for the disadvantaged members of the population. For women in particular, who face discrimination on the basis of their gender, the neo-liberal policies of the WTO worsen the already challenging conditions they face. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
