The past twenty years have seen two waves of research on currency unions, prompted by the early experience of the European Economic and Monetary Union and by the existential crisis experienced by the euro area as a strand of the global financial crisis. The authors explore crucial themes and topics such as optimal currency area theory, the central banks and new views on policy choices, providing a comprehensive and influential review of currency unions.

This book develops new balance of payments statistics for the United States from 1790 to 1919, before official statistics were kept. Part I of this book justifies construction of a new balance of payments table, and Chapter 1 surveys existing tables from that standpoint. Chapter 2 shows how this book overcomes the limitations of Office of Business Economics and its North-Simon-Goldsmith foundation. Specific features are highlighted, including measurement decisions, improvement of OBE series, development of new series, and derived implications for the structure of the US economy and for the importance of individual sectors that loom large at various times: slave trade, shipping, manufacturing, and travel. The book then generates new time series of the movement of people, the movement of goods, the movement of funds, and the provision of services. Part VI puts the new balance of payments table to use in several ways: aggregates and balances within the table, structure of the US economy, and specific sectors of the economy (slave trade, shipping, manufacturing, travel). Finally, Part VII provides concluding comments.

Europe's achievements in economic integration have attracted worldwide interest and are seen as an example for other regions to follow. Ten years after the completion of the Single Market Programme, this book is able to utilise empirical data not available to previous studies, also building on research by reputed academic experts and staff at the European Commission. The book reveals that European product market integration has a significant impact on the conditions of competition, the strategies of companies and the structure of industry. It adds a quarter of a percentage to annual GDP growth rates and has not led to an increased exposure of the EU to asymmetric shocks. However, the book argues that further improvements in the functioning of European product markets are needed in order to improve the EU's growth performance over the next decade. Invaluably, the book provides not only current information about Europe's achievements in economic integration but also methodology to assess the outcome of economic integration in other regions of the World, such as NAFTA, MERCOSUR and ASEAN. Offering a uniquely up-to-date and comprehensive empirical analysis and assessment of the European integration process, this book will be of great use and interest to international institutions and NGOs as well as researchers and scholars of European studies and economics.

This book reviews the background and evolving features of Sino-African relations, exploring various stages over the past 50 years. Pursuing an objective and forward-looking approach, it analyzes the development, current issues and future direction of Sino-African relations, as well as their global impact. Despite ideological and policy differences, it also outlines potential avenues of cooperation between China and western countries in promoting development in Africa. Potential means of adapting and improving China's "going into Africa" policy in the post-crisis era are also discussed, highlighting the importance of enhancing soft power in Africa.

The widely held view of the Asian Financial Crisis is that it had no substantial impact on China. In fact, the country was far more vulnerable than most people realized, due to the high possibility of financial contagion entering the system from Hong Kong through Guangdong province. This book analyzes the severe policy challenge that it presented for China's leaders. The crisis in Guangdong's financial institutions provided a forewarning of the difficulties that lay ahead as China's integration with the global financial system deepened. The experience of Guangdong in the Asian Financial Crisis provided a profound lesson for China's policy-makers as they planned the country's strategy for financial reform in the following years. China was able to avoid disaster by astute and difficult policy choices, in the face of fierce pressure from outside the country, as well as from different domestic interests at many different levels. The successful resolution of the crisis provided a breathing space for the leadership. It gave it time to undertake necessary reforms in the country's financial system in the decade that followed the crisis.

This book provides a broad quantitative analysis of the new facets of regionalism in the Americas. In particular, major aspects of the New American Regionalism are discussed in terms of two basic notions: the genuine political character of economic integration schemes, and the profound inter-connectedness of the American regions with the global economy. Heinz Preusse examines the recent experiences of the two main integration agreements in the Americas - the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Mercado Comun del Sur/Sud (MERCOSUR), and discusses critical aspects of the envisaged Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). He concludes that NAFTA has enjoyed a good internal economic record, but, externally it may have contributed to the rise of the present American 'spaghetti bowl' regionalism. In addition, MERCOSUR is stagnating and faces an uncertain future after what was a fairly successful start-up period. The author goes on to argue that under these conditions, the FTAA may be a chance for the formation of an open - and only moderately discriminatory - regional agreement in the Americas. He ascertains that the FTAA may therefore determine the fate of the New American Regionalism. Critically exploring the hypothesis that the New American Regionalism is growth-enhancing and conducive to the multilateral order, this book will appeal to academics, researchers and policymakers with a special interest in international economics, international politics, and regionalism.

Amidst mounting global policy attention directed toward international migration, this book offers an exhaustive review of the issues and evidence linking economic development in low-income countries with their migration experiences. The diversity of outcomes is explored in the context of; migration from East Europe and from the Maghreb to the EU; contract labor from South Asia in the Persian Gulf; highly skilled migrants moving to North America; and labor circulation within East Asia. Labor market responses at home, the brain drain, remittances, the roles of a diaspora, and return migration are each addressed, as well as an exploration of the effects of economic development upon migration and the implications of long-term dependence on a migration nexus. Robert Lucas concludes with an assessment of the winners and losers in the migration process, both at home and in the destination regions, before summarizing the main policy options open to both. This accessible and topical book offers invaluable insights to policy makers in both industrialized and developing countries as well as to scholars and researchers of economics, development, international relations and to specialists in migration.

Bringing together contributors from both the university sector and business-centered research institutions, this comprehensive volume offers diverse perspectives on the impacts and consequences of globalization in different parts of the Asian region. Each chapter offers a substantial account of globalization within a particular nation-state or area in the region. Different understandings underpin the chapters. Some contributors perceive globalization as progress in the form of economically driven processes that have made nations mutually dependent in unprecedented and complex ways. Others emphasize the uneven outcomes of globalization, as well as the stakes for economic growth and social order in the global climate of deepening political and religious divisions since September 2001. General and specialist readers alike will gain an appreciation of the myriad emphases placed on globalization within different nations and from various vantage points. The book showcases diverse styles of discourse and serves to greatly broaden the scope of what can be discussed under the rubric of 'globalization' within a single volume.

This book aims to improve the understanding of the relationship between cultural diversity and international economic integration and its implications for global governance of the audio-visual sector. The national audio-visual policies of a number of countries - including Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, India and the UK - are compared in order to assess their potential impacts and restrictive effects on international trade and investment. The variety of approaches used by the contributors reflects the wide differences among national audio-visual systems and offers a rich perspective on how they can be analysed. The lessons drawn from these national case studies are placed in context by up-to-date original analysis of the constraints arising from the WTO system. Scholars and professionals in the audio-visual sector and in international trade negotiations would be interested in the issues discussed in the book, given their importance in shaping the institutional environment of cultural and economic activities in the audio-visual sector.

This significant new book provides a succinct overview of the essential policy issues surrounding capital liberalization. The book compares the experiences of transition economies in Europe with those of advanced nations, allowing the reader to examine the changing international economic and financial environment within which transition countries have to liberalize. The book first deals with the critical issues concerning liberalization, including sequencing and financial market development. The authors move on to present an overview of the early liberalization experiences of advanced economies and East-Asian countries. This provides the context for a series of chapters reviewing liberalization progress in transition economies, in which international experts and senior officials analyze their own countries' experiences. The authors also emphasise the importance of financial market reform and the construction of a sound institutional framework if countries are to attract and productively use capital inflows. A stable financial system, whilst not infallible, is also crucial for minimizing the risk of financial crises of the type experienced by a number of countries during the 1980s and 1990s. The comprehensive scope of the subject matter and international contributions from a range of different perspectives will ensure this book is warmly received by academics and researchers with an interest in EU accession, transition economics and financial market reform. It will also serve as a useful guide to governments involved in capital liberalization in other parts of the world such as Latin America and Asia.

In the global financial crisis, competitiveness gaps between Euro area countries caused additional strain. This book discusses the various dimensions of competitiveness, with a special focus on emerging Central, Eastern and Southeastern European countries. For Europe to proceed with convergence and to resist global competitive pressures, it argues that policies to boost productivity and innovation are vital. With products becoming ever more technically sophisticated and global interconnectedness on a relentless rise, it also demonstrates that quality, customer orientation and participation in global production networks and global value chains are at least as important as relative costs and prices. This book delves into the literature and dissects the complexity of competitiveness, aiming to offer tangible policy advice focussed on how well the European economy is performing and how it could improve. The key findings of the book, from a mix of academics and policymakers, constitute a state-of-the-art assessment of competitiveness that may change traditional perceptions of how economies can return to a path of sustainable growth. Comprehensive and forward-looking, this enlightening book will appeal to academics, researchers and policymakers with a particular interest in European economies and economic integration. Contributors include: D. Andrews, B.B. Bakker, I. Begg, M. Belka, K. Benkovskis, Z. Darvas, A. de Serres, M. Gradzewicz, D. Hanzl-Weiss, B.S. Javorcik, A. Kosior, K. Krogulski, M. Landesmann, E. Nowotny, B. Pinto, D. Ritzberger Grunwald, M. Rubaszek, P. Samecki, M. Silgoner, P. Sinclair, K. Vondra, B. Vujcic, J. Woerz, L. Yueh

Visions for the Global Economy explores a collection of global issues that are vital to every student of world affairs. It addresses key topics on the global stage, focusing on the foundational aspects of these global issues. It gets to the heart of diverse arguments that create roadblocks to progress in the global economy and combines current affairs with key turning points in history.

This guide examines topics of the global economy at their core, as each chapter traces the storyline of one issue. Global issues and the decisions world leaders make are complex; and there never is one clear reason as to why something exists or why something takes place.

Visions for the Global Economy also considers economic growth, global economic governance, and political economy, providing a solid base for understanding the increasingly complex world today. The global economy has changed exponentially over the last decade and a half. Today, students cannot exclusively study politics or economics. They need to study both and have a good grasp of the political economy to succeed in today's world.

This book provides scholars in the English-speaking world with a window to understand China's perspectives on diplomatic theories and policies. This book is a study of China's diplomatic theories and Chinese foreign practice analysis. Along with the recent diplomatic strategy adjustments, diplomatic practices, and changes, it discusses China's international relations with its neighbors, the USA, Japan, India, the Middle East, and SAARC, as well as the "One Road and One Belt" initiative.

The definitive survey of the countries and territories of Western Europe, comprising expert analysis and commentary, up-to-date economic and socio-political data and extensive directory information. General Survey Essays by leading experts on the area cover issues of regional importance. Country Surveys Individual chapters on each country, comprising: an introductory survey, containing essays on the geography, history and economy of each country, including a chronology and map. an extensive statistical survey of economic and demographic indicators, including area and population, health and welfare, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, industry, finance, trade, transport, tourism, communications media and education. a comprehensive directory of names and contact details covering the most significant political and commercial institutions. Regional Information a directory of research institutes specializing in the region bibliographies of books and periodicals covering the region.

Although the full extent of the potential damages from global warming remain unknown, scientists have long argued that action should be taken now to mitigate any possible adverse consequences. However, in making such policy recommendations, economic arguments need to be considered as much as scientific ones. This volume examines the appropriate economic incentives for implementing policy to mitigate climate change and then exposes the flaws in current international agreements. The book begins by providing the economic foundations for understanding climate change. It examines how Kyoto's flexibility mechanism departs from more efficient and less-costly approaches for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, and highlights the problems that terrestrial carbon credits pose for emissions trading. Unique case studies of Canada, Japan and The Netherlands indicate that most countries will be unable to meet their own Kyoto obligations. The author then uses an economic analysis of the potential damages to show that even though some countries will experience a detrimental effect from climate change, the majority will actually benefit. In this way, he clearly demonstrates that not only will current policies do little to avert global warming, most countries will also have less incentive to sign up to any future international agreements. Academics, economists and policymakers involved in the climate change debate will find this succinct yet comprehensive analysis of the economic instruments available for mitigating climate change to be essential reading.

This book is, in essence, about incentives: the incentives for competing societal interest groups to cooperate with each other to benefit from a growing economic pie, rather than fighting over a bigger share of a smaller one. This is the conundrum of economic development. If elite interest groups have both incentive and ability to allocate resources toward themselves, and if such rent seeking causes a decline in economic inefficiency, how can economies ever grow? The book illuminates the mechanisms by which in one of the world's recent economic success stories- Vietnam's rapid industrialization and passage into the middle-income category-the interest in cooperating to grow the economy overrode the elites' instinct to allocate resources through the use of political power. The book shows how the need to provide positive conditions for international investment altered pay-off structures and pushed the all-powerful Communist Party of Vietnam to engage in bargaining with provincial officials; provincial officials with international investors; and finally all coercive elites even with the working classes. It describes the emergence of a harmony of interest among societal groups in which each group benefits from a growing economy, and no one group can monopolize the benefits of growth without hurting itself. The Vietnam case validates Nobel-Prize winning economist Mancur Olson's proposition that elite predation can only be kept in check when the elite itself suffers from the economic decline it causes at least as much as it gains from the rents it collects.

In this book a distinguished group of international contributors, from both developing and higher income countries, identify and discuss major social conflicts, labour and distributional concerns, environmental issues and impacts arising from the very rapid increase in globalisation experienced since the early 1970s. Issues considered include possible alternatives to globalisation; cultural and linguistic inequalities associated with globalisation, consequences of growing regionalism and economic inequality between and within nations. Poverty, international migration, biodiversity conservation, natural resource sustainability, and global trade in genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are also discussed. A substantial introductory chapter provides a significant overview of the rate and process of economic globalisation and integrates the contributions and their interconnections for the reader. Economic Globalisation offers policy proposals and responses and represents divergent views and rigorous theoretical analysis. Economists, particularly those with an interest in international economics, labour, environmental and ecological economics, macroeconomics and social economics will all find this book of great interest.

Whilst contemporary economies are innovative, they are also predominantly service economies in so much as services are the main source of wealth and employment. However, there is still considerable unwillingness to consider innovation in terms of services, a paradox rooted in an obsolete conception which regards manufacturing as the only engine of growth. In this book Faiz Gallouj propounds a theoretical framework which describes and evaluates the main approaches to analysing and understanding innovation in services. He provides interesting and extensive empirical material on the nature and sources of innovation in various services sectors and countries, and makes an original contribution both to theories of innovation in services and theories of innovation in general. Taking both an evolutionary and conventionalist stance, he demonstrates that services, and more importantly innovations in services, can be regarded as the new wealth of nations. This informative and original book will prove invaluable to academics and students interested in economics, innovation, structural change, sociology and management. It will also be welcomed by practitioners and managers in service organisations.

Taiwan has become a significant player on the world stage in many areas and has developed a distinct international profile and influence. Its pro-active foreign policy firmly reminds the world of a new political entity's achievement, aspirations and unfulfilled ambitions. This pioneering book discusses Taiwan's pragmatic diplomacy as a way of seeking legitimacy, survival and development for a burgeoning nation-state, against the dynamic changes in domestic and international scenes and tumultuous relations with China. With special reference to Taiwan's relations with Southeast Asia, a key region in Taiwan's international linkages, the book investigates three major pillars sustaining Taipei's unorthodox diplomacy. These three pillars are: Taiwan's investment and trade prowess, and the global networks built by its business elite; its special relations with global ethnic Chinese communities; and transnational activism of Taiwan's political, social and religious groups, in a so-called 'total diplomacy'. Political Scientists, students and international policy makers along with anyone interested in the changing role of China and Taiwan on the world stage will find this book lively and informative.

To remain competitive, businesses must consistently analyze and enhance their management strategies. By utilizing the latest technological tools in the corporate world, organizations can more easily optimize their processes. The Handbook of Research on Technology Adoption, Social Policy, and Global Integration is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly perspectives on the integration of emerging technologies and computational tools in business contexts. Highlighting a range of topics such as micro-blogging, organizational agility, and business information systems, this publication is ideally designed for managers, researchers, academics, students, and professionals interested in the growing presence of technology in the corporate sector.

Korea has been at the centre of intense debate concerning the role of government in economic development. Taking an in-depth approach, this book analyses the path of Korea's industrial technology development. In contrast to many previous studies on Korea, the author argues that the role of foreign multinational enterprises has been significant while the government's was surprisingly limited in scope. The author addresses three main questions: * How was Korea able to develop so effectively despite the low inflow of foreign technologies and capital? * What is the role of multinational enterprises in 'teaching' technology to the firms from developing countries? * What has been the influence of public policy on Korea's technology development? The author demonstrates that the key to the Korean electronics industry's spectacular growth has been through its participation in and learning from an inter-firm arrangement called 'original equipment manufacturing' (OEM) arrangement, and a number of firm-level case studies support this argument. This book will be of special interest to scholars of industrial and development economics, innovation and Asian studies. It will also be of use to policymakers responsible for industrial policy development.