Agents of neoliberal globalization corporate networks, state structures, and trade policy

318 Pages·2016·2.888 MB·English

by  Darves, Derek;Dreiling, Michael C

AgentsofNeoliberalGlobalization
Depictions of globalization commonly recite a story of a market
unleashed, bringing Big Macs and iPhones to all corners of the world.
Humansocietyappearsasapassiveobservertoabusyrevolutionofan
invisible global market, paradoxically unfolding by its own energy.
Sometimes, this market is thought to be unleashed by politicians
workingonthesurfaceofanautonomousstate.Thisbookrejectsboth
perspectivesandprovidesananalyticallyrichalternativetoconventional
approachestoglobalization.
By the 1980s, an enduring corporate coalition advanced in nearly
synonymous terms free trade, tax cuts, and deregulation. Highly
networked corporate leaders and state officials worked in concert to
producethetradepolicyframeworkforneoliberalglobalization.
Marshalling original network data and a historical narrative, this
book shows that the globalizing corporate titans of the late 1960s
aligned with economic conservatives to set into motion this vision of
aglobalfreemarket.
MichaelC.DreilingisasociologyprofessorattheUniversityofOregon
specializinginpoliticalandenvironmentalsociology.Heistheauthorof
two books and numerous research articles, and is presently working on
acomparativestudyofenergyindustrynetworks.AwardedDistinguished
University Teaching in 2009, the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished
Service Award in 2010, and numerous leadership awards in 2015,
Professor Dreiling is also active in the nonprofit world to promote
nonviolence, environmental care, and an economy that is fair for all.
A Bold Peace – a feature documentary film coproduced with Matthew
Eddy–depictsthatvisionofabetterworld.
DerekY.DarvesholdsaPhDinsociologyfromtheUniversityofOregon,
where he focused on organizational theory, quantitative methods, the
sociology of religion, and power structure research. Currently he is the
SeniorDataScientistforapensionfundinNewYorkCity.Anordained
Episcopalpriest,hehascontributedtoseveralempiricalreportsontrends
within the Episcopal Church and also serves part-time at a variety of
churchesintheEpiscopaldiocesesofNewarkandNewYork.

Agents of Neoliberal Globalization
Corporate Networks, State Structures,
and Trade Policy
MICHAEL C. DREILING
UniversityofOregon
DEREK Y. DARVES
IndependentScholar
32AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,ny10013
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107133969
©MichaelC.DreilingandDerekY.Darves2016
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2016
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabySheridanBooks,Inc.
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Dreiling,MichaelC.,author.|Darves,DerekY.,author.
Agentsofneoliberalglobalization:corporatenetworks,statestructures,
andtradepolicy/MichaelC.Dreiling,UniversityofOregon,DerekY.Darves,
IndependentScholar.
NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2016.|Includes
bibliographicalreferences.
LCCN2016026288|ISBN9781107133969
LCSH:Corporations,American–Politicalaspects|Corporations–Politicalactivity–
UnitedStates.|Neoliberalism–UnitedStates.|UnitedStates–Commerce.|United
States–Foreigneconomicrelations.|UnitedStates–Economicpolicy.
LCCHD2785.D742016|DDC337.73–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016026288
isbn978-1-107-13396-9Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchWebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Toourchildren:
Nalani,Nile,andHanaDreiling
&
RosalieDarves

Contents
ListofFigures pagex
ListofTables xii
Acknowledgments xv
CommonAbbreviations xvii
1 Introduction 1
Neoliberalism,TradeExpansion,andClassAgency 10
ImaginingaGlobalizedWorld 14
WhereCorporateNetworksMeettheState:AnAnecdote
andaBeginning 17
WhoRules?ARelationalInquiry 23
DataandAnalysis,inBrief 28
OutlineofChapters 32
2 CorporatePoliticalUnityandClassAgency 36
Section2.1: SourcesofIntercorporateUnity 36
WhenCorporationsAreNotaClass:TheAtomistic
Perspective 37
EmergenceofaStructuralPerspectiveonCorporate
Control:BoardInterlocks 40
TheNetworkApproachtoClassCohesion 49
ShiftingConditionsofClassCohesion:LookingforUnity
intheWrongPlaces 55
Section2.2: AnExpandedConceptualizationofClass
Agency 59
TwoBroadConditionsforClassandClassAgency 60
ContingentClassandStateRelations 69
SummaryModel 74
vii
viii Contents
3 ACriticalSociologyofUSTradePolicy 78
CorporationsandAmericanTradePolicy 79
TradePoliticsaftertheRTAA 84
WhytheDeclineinProtectionisminthe1970s?Theoretical
LimitsofTradePolicyResearch 88
TradeInterestsandCorporatePoliticalActivism:Company
orClass? 96
ModelsofCorporatePoliticalActioninTradePolicy
Research 99
DiscussionandHypotheses 103
Class-CohesionSourcesofCorporatePoliticalActivism 110
4 ForgingaNeoliberalTradePolicyNetwork,1967–1994 114
HistoricalConjuncture,InstitutionalChange,andClass
Agency 115
GlobalInstitutionsandAmericanTradePolicy:TheCusp
ofaNewEconomicEra 119
MobilizingtoLiberateTradeandFinance:TheEmergency
CommitteeforAmericanTrade 124
InternationalistsTakeStride:SettingtheTradeAgendaand
LiberatingtheDollar 134
TransformingtheState:Lobbyingforthe1974TradeAct 137
RiseoftheRoundtable:ModeratesontheRopes 141
ConsolidatingaNeoliberalTradePolicyNetwork,
1983–1994 146
ANeoliberalTradePolicyNetwork:DefendingtheNorth
AmericanFreeTradeAgreement 148
TheStateCaptainIntercorporateNetwork 151
ChinaPNTRandBeyond 159
Discussion:TheCorporateNeoliberalPolicyNetwork 160
5 InsidetheState:CorporateParticipationinTradePolicy 163
FortuneandForbes500(FF500)Company-Level
Analyses 165
StatisticalMethods:Firm-LevelModels 171
ParticipationinTradeAdvisoryCommittees 173
ParticipationinTemporaryPoliticalAlliances 179
ParticipationinCongressionalTestimony 181
ContrastingCorporatePoliticalNetworks 185
AnotherGlanceattheBusinessRoundtable 189
Discussion 194
6 FusingClassAgencytoaStateTradePolicyApparatus 196
MeasuringCorporateUnity:Dyads 198
StatisticalMethods:DyadicModels 204