When protectionists flunk reading comprehension

Hey, I’m moving up in the world — my New York Times review of Jagdish Bhagwati’s In Defense of Globalization is the topic of an Alan Tonelson essay at the leading protectionist web site, americaneconomicalert.org. I think Tonelson is trying to be light-hearted in his post, but his effort is worthy of a mild fisking. Tonelson’s essay is indented and italicized– my response is not:

We here at Globalization Follies would have more confidence that globalization cheerleaders know what’s best for typical Americans – and their counterparts around the world – if they even occasionally displayed the dimmest understanding of these populations. But dreaming up self-serving, wildly off-base caricatures is so much easier than studying and learning.

We here at danieldrezner.com would have more confidence that globalization opponents know what’s best for typical Americans – and their counterparts around the world – if they even occasionally displayed the dimmest understanding of basic economics. But dreaming up self-serving, wildly off-base caricatures is so much easier than studying and learning.

What else can be made of University of Chicago professor Daniel Drezner’s recent observation that, “There is a need for someone to step into the breach and defend globalization using the language of the average Joe,” and concluding that, “If anyone can rise to this challenge, it should be Jagdish Bhagwati.”

Tonelson must not have have actually read the rest of the review, which was sufficiently critical of whether Professor Bhagwati actually rose to that challenge to prompt an response from Bhagwati.

Bhagwati’s supposed claim to the common touch? He’s “an esteemed international economist…a university professor at Columbia, and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.” Further burnishing Bhagwati’s populist credentials: “He has advised the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.”

Actually, what I was saying that there was a need for an economist to use the language of the average Joe. That requires two things — a good economist and a good writer. The passages Tonelson cites are the background I provided (as any competent reviewer should) about Bhagwati’s bona fides as a good economist. If Alan had read just a teensy bit further down that paragraph, he would have seen that I also said: “Born in India, educated in Britain and now an American citizen, he can claim to understand all points of view. He has won multiple prizes for excellence in economic writing.” (emphasis added)

Don’t get us wrong. Bhagwati could indeed rival Jimmy Kimmel as a Regular Guy. But teaching at an elite university and nesting in the symbolic heart of America’s semi-official establishment as prima facie evidence? We’re still shaking our heads.

Yeah, nesting in the heart of America’s political establishment (Washington, DC) as “a Research Fellow at the U.S. Business & Industry Educational Foundation” displays a much greater common touch.

At the same time, should anyone really be surprised by Drezner’s cluelessness about popular views of globalization? After all, large and growing numbers of Americans live in a thoroughly and increasingly globalized world, facing mounting foreign competition and weakened job security. Academics like Drezner and Bhagwati, in their lofty, tenure-protected ivory towers, do not.

Sigh. Again, if Tonelson had actually bothered to read the review, he would have noticed that the paragraph before the one he quoted contained the following: “Public opinion polls repeatedly show Americans to be wary about globalization. The problem is not that economists are starting to doubt their own arguments — the problem is that the rest of society neither understands nor believes them. Between statistical evidence showing that trade is good for the economy and tangible anecdotes of sweatshops and job losses, most citizens trust the anecdotes.” Oh, and about the Americans facing “weakened job security”? Funny thing about that assertion. As Brink Lindsey pointed out a few months ago, the aggregate number of jobs destroyed in the U.S. economy fell by 9.6% between 2001 and 2002 (from 35.4 million to 32 million). Tonelson gets a C- in wit and an F in reading comprehension. [So let’s see — Bhagwati didn’t like your review, and the protectionists didn’t like your review. Does anyone like your review?–ed. Chester thought it had many fine points.]