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More Than Just a “Cheap T‑Shirt”: Guatemala Textiles

Learn about an apparel factory in Guatemala City and how globalization has impacted their local economy.

Featuring

Scott Lincicome circle portrait
Scott Lincicome

Vice President, General Economics and Stiefel Trade Policy Center, Cato Institute

A common criticism of globalization is that its costs aren’t worth the “cheap T‑shirts” we get in return. But those shirts help American families stretch their budgets and serve as a lifeline for millions of the world’s poorest people. We traveled to an apparel factory in Guatemala to tell some of these people’s stories and to show how globalization has lifted more than a billion humans out of abject poverty since 2000.

Guide students in discussion about the impact of globalization on the individuals featured in the video:

  1. How would you define economic stability? Is it relative to the country you’re analyzing or is it a pre‐​defined metric? 

  1. Do you think free trade agreements or government sanctioned or propagated solutions would inhibit economic growth? Why or why not?