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‘A force for good’ : the narrative construction of ethical EU–Vietnam trade relations

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Abstract
Political representation of problems includes an aim to control an audience's impressions and create a societally-acceptable social reality. This paper analyses the narrative construction of ethical trade between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam. As an undemocratic Other, Vietnam has been sharply criticized for its human rights record by civil society and Members of European Parliament. Yet, the EU recently concluded two trade agreements with Vietnam. We argue that, unchallenged by the European Parliament, the European Commission created a performative 'story of change' for its European audience by simultaneously appealing to underlying 'neoliberal' and 'development' paradigms. In this narrative, the EU and Vietnam star as the main characters, who, in their joint attempts to make bilateral trade 'a force for good', live moments of heroism, encounter fleeting instances of victimhood, and defeat villains on the path to ethical trade.
Keywords
Political Science and International Relations, Economics and Econometrics, General Business, Management and Accounting, Business and International Management, trade, narrative, sustainable development, EU, Vietnam, EUROPEAN-UNION, HUMAN-RIGHTS, POLICY, POWER, AGREEMENTS, FRAMEWORK

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Citation

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MLA
Nessel, Camille, and Elke Verhaeghe. “’A Force for Good’ : The Narrative Construction of Ethical EU–Vietnam Trade Relations.” JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, vol. 60, no. 3, 2022, pp. 741–58, doi:10.1111/jcms.13284.
APA
Nessel, C., & Verhaeghe, E. (2022). ’A force for good’ : the narrative construction of ethical EU–Vietnam trade relations. JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, 60(3), 741–758. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13284
Chicago author-date
Nessel, Camille, and Elke Verhaeghe. 2022. “’A Force for Good’ : The Narrative Construction of Ethical EU–Vietnam Trade Relations.” JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES 60 (3): 741–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13284.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Nessel, Camille, and Elke Verhaeghe. 2022. “’A Force for Good’ : The Narrative Construction of Ethical EU–Vietnam Trade Relations.” JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES 60 (3): 741–758. doi:10.1111/jcms.13284.
Vancouver
1.
Nessel C, Verhaeghe E. ’A force for good’ : the narrative construction of ethical EU–Vietnam trade relations. JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES. 2022;60(3):741–58.
IEEE
[1]
C. Nessel and E. Verhaeghe, “’A force for good’ : the narrative construction of ethical EU–Vietnam trade relations,” JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 741–758, 2022.
@article{01GXZP6NZ48CEVBMANWHFVHW8B,
  abstract     = {{Political representation of problems includes an aim to control an audience's impressions and create a societally-acceptable social reality. This paper analyses the narrative construction of ethical trade between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam. As an undemocratic Other, Vietnam has been sharply criticized for its human rights record by civil society and Members of European Parliament. Yet, the EU recently concluded two trade agreements with Vietnam. We argue that, unchallenged by the European Parliament, the European Commission created a performative 'story of change' for its European audience by simultaneously appealing to underlying 'neoliberal' and 'development' paradigms. In this narrative, the EU and Vietnam star as the main characters, who, in their joint attempts to make bilateral trade 'a force for good', live moments of heroism, encounter fleeting instances of victimhood, and defeat villains on the path to ethical trade.}},
  author       = {{Nessel, Camille and Verhaeghe, Elke}},
  issn         = {{0021-9886}},
  journal      = {{JCMS-JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES}},
  keywords     = {{Political Science and International Relations,Economics and Econometrics,General Business, Management and Accounting,Business and International Management,trade,narrative,sustainable development,EU,Vietnam,EUROPEAN-UNION,HUMAN-RIGHTS,POLICY,POWER,AGREEMENTS,FRAMEWORK}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{741--758}},
  title        = {{‘A force for good’ : the narrative construction of ethical EU–Vietnam trade relations}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13284}},
  volume       = {{60}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}

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