Geography

Privatizing conditions of production: Trade agreements as neoliberal environmental governance

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Recent multilateral trade agreements are among the major manifestations of neoliberalism. They are also emerging as some of the most important sites of environmental governance in the 21st century. I argue here that these trade agreements, particularly the sweeping new protections they provide for investors, are redefining property rights and environmental governance in fundamental ways. I suggest that in addition to furthering the centuries-long process of the enclosure of nature under capitalism, the neoliberal agenda of NAFTA and similar trade agreements also involves something new: the privatization, or primitive accumulation, of conditions of production as an accumulation strategy. I explore these dynamics through examination of two cases, one in the United States and one in Mexico. I also explore the roles of social movements in these dynamics. © 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Publication Title

Geoforum

Publication Date

5-1-2004

Volume

35

Issue

3

First Page

327

Last Page

341

ISSN

0016-7185

DOI

10.1016/j.geoforum.2003.07.002

Keywords

conditions of production, environmental governance, neoliberalism, primitive accumulation, trade

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