The Asia-Pacific region has witnessed a rapid rise in bilateral preferential trade agreements at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This trend could have potentially dramatic effects on the trading patterns of countries in the transpacific region and beyond. Some argue that these accords will spur multilateral negotiations, while others believe that they will irreparably damage the trading system.
Bilateral Trade Agreements in the Asia-Pacific examines the underlying political and economic factors driving these accords, based on a novel theoretical framework. Experts then provide overviews of political and economic trends in the region as well as detailed analysis of the trade strategies of Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, and Mexico.
By systematically evaluating and assessing the driving forces underlying the turn to bilateral trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific, this book provides the first comprehensive analysis of this crucial phenomenon. Growing numbers of countries both in the region and elsewhere in the world are now considering further negotiation of bilateral trade accords. Understanding how these arrangements will fit or conflict with existing institutions in the Asia-Pacific and the WTO makes this book imperative reading for policymakers and scholars.
This book is imperative reading for policymakers and scholars, and will prove an invaluable resource for students of Asian Studies, politics, economics and management especially those interested in international trade, bilateral trade agreements, political economy, business strategy and trade.

This second volume of the ""Handbook of International Trade"" focuses on the economic and legal analysis of international laws and institutions as they impact trade.

Containing chapters written by both economic and legal scholars, this volume encourages cross-discipline discussion with writing that is accessible to those approaching the material from any background.

Central issues to those studying international trade are addressed, including:
labor, environmental rights, and preferential trade agreements
antitrust policy
patent rights
trade liberalization
foreign direct investment.

This book remains the sole export-import textbook aimed squarely at the academic audience. Discussing theoretical issues in depth, while maintaining a practical approach, it offers a comprehensive exploration of import procedures and export regulations. In addition to updated cases, this new edition includes: New major developments in bilateral and regional trade agreements Changes to INCOTERMS 2010 Coverage of the role of e-commerce Expanded updates on methods of payment, export pricing, and government export finance This clearly written and comprehensive textbook will ground students in theory and prepare them for the realities of a career in this fast-moving field. Suitable for upper-level undergraduates and postgraduates of international trade, the book stands alone in its blend of conceptual frameworks and cogent analysis. A related website, filled with export-import resources, opinion pieces, cases, and the latest news is located at: www.export-importtradecenter.com.

It is widely believed that current disparities in economic, political, and social outcomes reflect distinct institutions. Institutions are invoked to explain why some countries are rich and others poor, some democratic and others dictatorial. But arguments of this sort gloss over the question of what institutions are, how they come about, and why they persist. They also fail to explain why institutions are influenced by the past, why it is that they can sometimes change, why they differ so much from society to society, and why it is hard to study them empirically and devise a policy aimed at altering them. This 2006 book seeks to overcome these problems, which have exercised economists, sociologists, political scientists, and a host of other researchers who use the social sciences to study history, law, and business administration. It presents a multi-disciplinary perspective to study endogenous institutions and their dynamics.

First published in 1997, this volume responds to the rapid change in mid-1980s South East Asia, exploring the uneven distribution of development within the region and providing broad coverage of different aspects of this unevenness at both the regional and national levels. Specialists in economics, geography, planning and South East Asian studies contribute on issues including ethnicity and development in Malaysia, disadvantaged groups in Singapore and the impact of social and historical forces on uneven development in the region.

This volume fills a gap in the literature regarding questions around the interactive dynamics between law and diplomacy on international trade and investment. It brings together lawyers and political scientists from Europe and Asia in an interdisciplinary effort at tracing the respective roles of law and diplomacy in the relations of the European Union (EU) with its trade and investment partners in Asia. Focusing on trade and investment relations with Asia, the EU presents a particularly interesting case as it has been a strong proponent of a rules-based international economic order for years and a frequent user of the formal procedures established in international treaties in case of disputes. At the same time, it has kept diplomatically active to adjust dispute management and international agreements to the needs and demands of the partners involved. Furthermore, not only is this region of crucial importance due to the presence of both vigorous emerging economies, like China, India and Vietnam, and more established partners, like Japan, EU-Asia relations also present a broad set of economic disputes and recent negotiation efforts analyzed in the contributions to this volume. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of international trade/economic law, EU politics, EU external relations (law), international relations, diplomacy and more broadly to international relations and Asian studies.

Farm and business lobby groups played a vital role in the erosion of the American-led trade embargo against China from 1949-79. In this comprehensive study, based on recently declassified primary source material, trade negotiations and agreements are examined and a detailed account of developing economic links between East and West is also provided.
Developing economic relations and tensions with US policy are discussed in the context of PRC and Western economic and agricultural problems, Beijing's development strategies, Sino-Soviet relations and the backdrop of War in Asia. The story starts with regional grain shortages as a result of Mao's self-sufficiency policies. Washington failed to prevent its allies from stopping politically influential private and semi-official trade promotion organizations from maintaining more stringent trade restrictions aimed at preventing China's economic development. Mitcham also charts the rise and fall of the Great Leap Forward and China's eventual recovery, capped by rapprochement, the re-opening of important diplomatic and trade relations and Beijing's readjustment policies. By the late seventies, the stage was set for the rise of the Chinese economic engine, and a shift in economic thinking that continues to have repercussions both within China and around the world today.
For historians, economists, political scientists, government officials, business representatives and others with an interest in Chinese economics and history, China's Economic Relations with the West and Japan will be essential reading.

Asian Travel in the Renaissance looks at travel in Asia for the purposes of trade, colonialism and religious conversion by a diverse array of Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and English protagonists in the Renaissance era. * Examines European travel in Asia from a variety of perspectives.* Presents new research by international scholars.* Establishes the importance of Asia as a place of aspiration in the early modern period.

The recent globalization trends have revived a long-standing interest in regional integration in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Despite numerous attempts to encourage economic integration in MENA in the past few decades, there is broad consensus that progress has been painstakingly slow and the record of economic integration in the MENA region largely beset by failure.
This book examines the impact of recent changes in the world economy on trade policy within the MENA region and its economic relations with the rest of the world. It considers regional integration and prospects for trade blocs; trade liberalization and economic restructuring; resource endowments and employment trends; and changes in economic boundaries, especially as a result of labour migration and regional conflicts.

As tariffs have fallen worldwide, the increasing importance of non-tariff policies for further trade liberalization has become widely recognized. The methods for assessing the potential effects of such liberalization have lagged significantly behind those available for analyzing tariffs. This book is the first volume that comprehensively addresses this gap. It has been designed to be useful for both economists and policymakers, especially for those involved in communicating ideas and results between economists and policymakers.This indispensable book contains cutting-edge discussions of the full range of methodologies used in this area, including business surveys, summary statistics such as effective rates of protection and price gaps, time-series and panel econometrics, and simulation methods such as computable general equilibrium. It covers the entire spectrum of policies under discussion in current trade negotiations, including trade facilitation, services policies, quantitative measures, customs procedures, standards, movement of natural persons, and anti-dumping.Some prominent contributors to this book are Bijit Bora (World Trade Organization), John Wilson, Tsunehiro Otsuki and Vlad Manole (World Bank), Catherine Mann (Institute of International Economics), Alan Deardorff and Robert Stern (University of Michigan), Joe Francois (Erasmus University), Dean Spinanger (University of Kiel), Antoni Estevadeordal and Kati Suominen (Inter-American Development Bank), Thomas Prusa (Rutgers University), Thomas Hertel and Terrie Walmsley (Purdue University), Scott Bradford (Brigham Young University), Judith Dean, Robert Feinberg, Soamiely Andriamananjara and Marinos Tsigas (US International Trade Commission).

This title was first published in 2001: Bringing together geographers, planners, political scientists, economists, rural development specialists, bankers, public administrators and other development experts, this volume questions the benefits of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs). It critically assesses the impact of SAPs from a wider perspective than a purely economic one, highlighting concerns about impacts of adjustments on the more vulnerable elements of society such as social welfare, the environment, labour, gender and agriculture. Revealing both the costs and benefits of the economic restructuring programme, the book also suggests alternatives to current development models, and how SAPs can be made more sustainable. An original and comprehensive addition to the collections of both students and practitioners of development.

This title was first published in 2003. This book represents one of the recent internationally coordinated initiatives to access the rich and still unfolding implications of China's participation in economic globalization in the context of the nation's accession to the World Trade Organization.

This title was first published in 2002. Debates about the desirability, feasibility and appropriate form of international economic regulation are now a heavily contested domain. This selection of recently published essays reflects the diversity of perspectives that are shaping the scope and direction of the debates, from legal formalism and law and economics, to Third World legal theories and other critical perspectives.

This book examines the evolution of multinational trading companies from the eighteenth century to the present day. During the Industrial Revolution, British merchants established overseas branches which became major trade intermediaries and subsequently engaged in foreign direct investment. Complex multinational business groups emerged controlling large investments in natural resources, processing, and services in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

How and why do countries bargain together in world affairs? Why are such coalitions crucial to developing nations? What effects do these blocs have on world affairs? This new study asks and answers these key questions, showing why successful coalition building is a difficult and expensive process: allies need to be carefully identified, large numbers do not always mean a proportionate increase in influence. The weak have the choice of teaming up against or jumping on the bandwagon with the strong. Even after it has been organized, collective action entails costs of many kinds. This book also investigates the relevance and workability of coalitions as an instrument of bargaining power for the weak. More specifically, it analyzes the coalition strategies of developing countries at the inter-state level, particularly in the context of international trade. Given the nature of this enquiry, this new study uses theoretical and empirical methods to complement each other. Through new case-studies of the Uruguay Round and an analytical overview of more recent coalitions, this is an important contribution to international political economy and international relations, where most GATT/WTO-based coalitions have eluded record. This book will be of great interest to all students of international relations, politics and globalization.

This title was first published in 2001. By presenting research from a multi disciplinary perspective, this book will serve as an important reference tool for researchers and others interested in the land use issues of Central and Eastern Europe as well as agribusiness leaders seeking potential trading relations with and within these European countries.

This title was first published in 2000. An essential collection of studies which examine the many aspects of the Indian economy from trade relations and exchange rate mechanisms to privatization. The text looks at the issue of poverty and income distribution and advances the problems and issues associated with the Indian economy.

This title was first published in 2000. Illustrated by a wide range of international case studies, this volume elaborates, extends and critiques one of the key models of local growth, which emphasizes learning, networking and 'embeddedness' in relation to the role of small and medium-sized firms (SMEs). In doing so, it provides a comprehensive understanding of the changing role of SMEs in an era of globalization.

This book provides an original and critical analysis of the most contentious subjects being negotiated in the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). It focuses on the pathway of reforming investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) from both Chinese and European perspectives in the context of the China-EU CAI and beyond. The book is divided into three parts. Part I examines key and controversial issues of the China-EU CAI negotiations, including market access, sustainable development and human rights, as well as comparing distinct features between the China-EU CAI and the China-US BIT. Part II concentrates on the institutional reform of investor-state arbitration with an extensive analysis of the EU's approach to replacing the private nature of investment arbitration with the public nature of an investment court. Part III addresses the core substantive and procedural issues concerning ISDS, such as the role of domestic courts in investment dispute settlement, the status of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as investors, transparency and the protection of victims in investment dispute resolution. This book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners in the field of international investment and trade law, particularly investment dispute settlement.

This title was first published in 2003. This text offers an analysis of the linkages between trade policy and competition policy. It is a case study-based book that explores the conflicts and complementarities between these policy domains given different industry conditions and market structures. The essential argument is that as the complexity of markets and industry structures increases, the relationships between trade and competition grow in complexity also. The book attempts to classify these different industry conditions into four categories: natural resource, complex manufacturing, R+D intensive and internationally traded service industries. The book offers specific case studies in natural resource and complex manufacturing sectors. Given the proposals at the World Trade Organization concerning the internationalisation of antitrust policies, this text should serve as a useful guide to both academics and policymakers alike.

This title was first published in 2003. Nurul Islam, currently head of economic and social policy at the FAO/UN and a key advisor at the International Food Policy Research Institute, has been a renowned expert on economic development for the past thirty years. Over that time he has researched and written about a wide range of economic development issues, focussing mainly on policy. For the first time ever, his most important writings have been brought together in this volume, reflecting not only Professor Islam's own views on particular issues, but also providing a unique overview of the key debates and discussions taking place among academic economist and policy analysts over the past three decades. The collection is divided into three main sections: trade and aid, development strategy, and food security, the section on food security being the most recent. It discusses food security in a broad sense, covering issues of availability and growth in food production, access or entitlement of individuals or households to basic food, and variability in food supplies and prices. In the section on Development Strategy, Professor Islam highlights how theoretical argument has veered away from organized 'development planning' models which proved so important in the 1960s. He questions the role of models and policies throughout the decades and, following articles written in the 1970s or 80s, he includes articles he has recently completed, assessing the previous ones from his current perspective. In the final section, on Trade and Aid, he follows the academic debate on trade and exchange rate policies in developing countries from the 1960s to the progress of the WTO forums of today. This is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking volume. No matter whether the subject in question was examined in the 1960s or currently, Professor Islam provides a challenging and insightful analysis, and even the earliest articles retain relevance and will be of continuing interest.

A new and incisive analysis of the political viability of human rights, with an in-depth investigation of its largest violation: world hunger.
Gonzalez-Pelaez develops John Vincent's theory of basic human rights within the context of the international political economy and demonstrates how the right to food has become an international norm enshrined within international law. She then assesses the international normative and practical dimensions of hunger in connection with international trade and poverty. Using the society of states as the framework of analysis, she explores the potential that the current system has to correct its own anomalies, and examines the measures that can move the hunger agenda forward in order to break through its current stagnation.

This book throws new light on the interlocking commercial relationships of the Atlantic trading world during the centuries ending with the American and French Revolutions. Grouped under four themes--the role of merchants and their connections; the development of trades; imperial economies; and colonial working societies--and written by an international team of economic historians, these essays increase our knowledge and understanding of the transatlantic economy. Contributions include studies of individual businessmen, labor patterns, port cities, branches of trade, and comparative studies of trading nations.

This second yearbook of The Vienna Institute for Comparative Economic Studies presents studies dealing with the economic situation in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Its foreign trade analysis offers insights into the ongoing transition process from centrally planned to market-oriented systems.

This book, first published in 1973, presents a collection of original contributions to the analysis of international trade and monetary relations by a number of distinguished economists. The papers bear on six topics in trade theory: the inadequacies of classical trade theory, customs unions, immiserising growth, the international transmission of technical change, multinational company behaviour, and comparative trends in income distribution. Chapters dealing with international monetary relations focus on general equilibrium analysis of spot and forward exchange markets, money supply analysis in open economies, devaluation in developing countries, the sharing of the burden of international adjustment, the monetary approach to balance-of-payments theory, and the integration of Keynesian and monetary approaches to international adjustment. Taken together, they summarize much of the most advanced contemporary research in international economics. The volume is unified by the contributors' common belief that economic theory can help solve important and relevant problems in international economic relations. All the contributions represent original work on the frontiers of research in international economics, but they use simple and understandable techniques to reach their conclusions.