In Defense of Global Capitalism by Johan Norberg
Review by: Daniel Vidal
In Defense of Global Capitalism by Johan Norberg is a well researched, well put together and
easy to digest book that looks at certain ideas - like the claim that the rich are getting richer and
the poor poorer - and combats them with detailed and verifiable facts. Norberg states that,
"When I say that I mean to defend capitalism, what I have in mind is the capitalistic freedom to
proceed by trial and error, without having to ask rulers and border officials for permission first."
The book is organized into sections that refute and answer many of the most common
misconceptions and questions about the free market, capitalism and globalization. Norberg
explores the facts concerning issues like hunger, education, freedom and equality, noting in
particular the improvements and growth that China and India have seen over the years since
reforming their economic systems.
When considering globalization, Norberg makes a great analogy: what if children were forced to
discover everything by themselves? Wouldn’t they develop slowly? The growth of developing
countries doesn’t need to take as long as it did for others and they can learn from past
experiences. In this case, it’s interesting to note that most liberal countries have a per capita
GDP much greater of those of the economically least liberal. The uneven distribution of wealth,
according to Norberg, in the world is due to the uneven distribution of capitalism and the
“losers” of the world are those that have been left out.
Johan argues convincingly that free trade and capitalism are the key to alleviating the world’s
social problems. The terms capitalism and profits, with their generally negative connotations,
aren’t evil and are good for the developing world and good for social progress.
While I admittedly wasn’t sure where this book would take me, it helped me realize that
globalization, (conscious) business and capitalism can help improve the lives of everyone on the
planet.