The Globalization Trap - by Michael Collins (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Globalization Trap exposes how decades of free trade, outsourcing, and economic dogma hollowed out the American middle class-and why the promised gains of globalization never arrived for millions of workers.

Economists once claimed that free trade would raise wages and living standards. Instead, globalization triggered a race to the bottom, forcing U.S. workers to compete with low-wage labor worldwide. The result: stagnant wages, shrinking opportunities, and a collapsing middle class-especially for workers without college degrees.

The book also dismantles the myth of the "post-industrial service economy." Cheap imports and service-sector jobs were supposed to deliver prosperity. They didn't. For most workers, lower prices and imports failed to offset rising living costs and flat pay, leaving economic insecurity in their wake.

But this is not just a diagnosis-it's a blueprint. As globalization fractures and global trade blocs re-emerge, The Globalization Trap outlines a realistic path to renewed prosperity. The plan focuses on rebuilding U.S. manufacturing, reducing trade deficits, protecting critical technologies, and restoring wage growth through targeted tariffs, tax credits, quotas, and workforce training.

Clear-eyed, practical, and timely, this book offers a roadmap for reclaiming economic stability and a stronger middle class.