how does capitalism contribute to the race to the bottom 
capitalism is defined by competition between businesses to grab market share and among workers to fill jobs companies must stay profitable and workers need to stay employed as a result firms try to become the low cost producer so that they can best the competition and grab market share this means that firms begin to compete primarily on price however cutting costs amid fierce competition also can mean cutting corners in the form of lower quality lower safety standards and lower wages at the same time it can produce negative externalities like pollution waste and other social ills the bottom linea race to the bottom occurs whenever competition becomes so endemic that it leads to negative consequences and externalities for instance businesses may cut corners and sacrifice quality in order to maintain low prices and keep market share governments may also reduce taxes and reduce regulations and environmental standards in order to attract industry to remain or relocate to their jurisdiction in the end tit for tat undercutting leads businesses and governments to literally race each other to the bottom of the barrel in a destructive spiral 