John Rapley
"The world is not a market" has been a slogan of the anti-globalisation movement. It calls for resistance to the alleged goal of neoliberalism to convert all phenomena - even time and relationships - into tradable commodities. But if the world is not a market, recent evidence suggests that to a growing degree, it (or much of it) is becoming a supermarket.
The spread of supermarkets is not quite the same as the intrusion of market logic into all facets of human life. Nevertheless, the anti-globalisation movement has tended to dislike the homogenising tendencies found in the spread of shopping malls and supermarkets. But what in another time was seen as a Western - even American - invention, is now spreading across the world.
Recent research shows that in places as far apart as Latin America, China and Africa, more and more people are shopping in supermarkets. In some places, a generational divide appears to be behind the shift: older shoppers stick with traditional public markets, but younger ones prefer the convenience and selection of their large modern counterparts.
However, the fundamental forces that appear to be driving the global spread of supermarkets have been higher incomes and urbanisation. Despite the widening gap between rich and poor, on average, global incomes have been going up over the last couple of decades (particularly in China). Higher incomes bring with them the kinds of goods that facilitate the large volumes involved in supermarket-shopping, like cars and refrigerators.
Urbanisation brings its own set of challenges to shoppers. In agrarian societies, people live near their workplace. But across the world, as agricultural productivity rises, people are leaving the land and moving to cities. Once there, as a rule, they live far from their place of employment. Commuting adds to the work day, often reducing the time available for shopping.
Efficient shopping
The attraction of supermarkets thus becomes clear. They offer an efficient shopping experience, permitting people to obtain a wide range of goods at one time, and in one place.
Still, the spread of supermarkets troubles many observers. Historically, markets have been public spaces where entertainers, politicians and preachers have been able to reach audiences. Markets, it has often been said, have played a crucial role in the cultures and polities of many lands. But supermarkets, and shopping malls, are private spaces. The exit of shoppers from markets, and their entry into supermarkets, is seen by some as a harbinger of the erosion of collective spaces, now abandoned by an individualistic and disconnected citizenry.
If people are losing out as citizens, though, they seem to be gaining as consumers. The growing body of research on supermarkets indicates that they do make life easier and more affordable for shoppers.
They are, of course, bad for traditional merchants. But for farmers, the effects are more controversial. Supermarkets tend to demand a higher standard of product, which can put pressure on small farmers. But the evidence suggests that there is no prima facie reason that small farmers cannot do well by adapting to their new buyers. Indeed, some case studies have discerned direct benefits for small farmers, where purchasing arrangements connect them effectively to supermarkets.
Recent statistical projections suggest that the global 'explosion' of supermarkets may have peaked. Their spread will continue, particularly if incomes continue rising and as growth spreads to previously stagnant regions of the world. it is interesting to note that no less a country than Sudan recently acquired its first big supermarket.
But what does appear incontestable is that, like them or not, supermarkets are here to stay, and will only grow in importance to the planet's consumers.
John Rapley is a senior lecturer in the Department of Government, UWI, Mona.
