Once upon a time there was a very effective little book called No Logo. Okay, it was an anti-capitalist polemic, and not always entirely rational in its approach, but it made you think "aren't global corporations taking over the world?"

Unfortunately, effective though Naomi Klein's vision was, it was largely a matter of fiction. It extrapolated from matters we all ought to care about to totally unwarranted assumptions about causes and cures.

Open World is a useful counter to No Logo and similar rants. It points out the effectiveness of world trade (and the genuine good intentions of the WTO) - and how poor countries suffer much more as a result of trade barriers (and ridiculous subsidies like the EU's common agricultural policy) than from the evil global corporations. Legrain balances the fear of the evil corporates with the much more reasonable picture of global tastes and connections acting far above the reaches of the big names.

The worst thing about this book is a tendency to produce huge lists to make a point. Presumably because the opposition is so frightening the tendency to go in over the top with the evidence - it could do with a bit of trimming.

Even so, this is a superb counter to those who see globalization as solely bad. It's not accepting everything global - Legrain argues for more control of money markets - but emphasizes the real benefits of freeing up trade for poor countries most of all.