The World Trade Organization grew out of the post-war General agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) through a series of negotiated enhancements to GATT. Recently, the WTO has attracted controversy, accused of perpetuating the economic subservience of the Third World. This text explores the main issues.

If you feel you have a disjointed, or unbalanced, view of the global system of demand and supply, you are probably correct. Most studies leave out a very important part of the system--the marketing channel. That is why Laurens van der Laan developed and wrote this book, The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel. To help you understand what happens to export crops, such as cocoa, coffee, cotton, groundnuts, tea, and tobacco, between their country of origin and consumer markets, this book analyzes the roles of different actors in trans-oceanic trade, inherent differences between world markets, export diversification policies, and the commercial and institutional forces at play.The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel will give you a strong background in marketing channel concepts, and because of its focus on the exporter rather than on the government, it will provide you with an excellent model for microanalysis. As you read about the special features of trans-oceanic trade, you will also learn about: trade associations and their role in shaping world markets for trans-oceanic crops the uneasy relationship between exporters and shipping companies the selling conduct of agricultural exporters in Africa the tendency of actors in Africa to accelerate the trans-oceanic product flow the effectiveness of export marketing boards as channel leaders private enterprise, the chief agent of development the theory of "exporter preference"The Trans-Oceanic Marketing Channel invites policymakers, international businessmen, professors, and students to examine the opportunities, problems, and policies that confront the various players in trans-oceanic trade, especially the exporters. As the book discusses the divergent institutional arrangements in the world markets for agricultural products and their differential effect on African exports, you will become keenly aware of how vertical marketing systems differ from conventional marketing channels. No other book brings together the three fundamental sections of export agriculture, the country of production, the channel through which the products flow, and the country of destination, to provide you with a complete understanding of trans-oceanic marketing.

The past decade has seen a proliferation of trade talks, and at a multitude of different levels. The scope and complexity of the trade agenda have considerably expanded the Uruguay round. The activism of the "private" sector in the policy-making process has increased both at the national and international levels, hand-in-hand with the globalization of markets and the "privatization" of international economic relations. These issues, and how they impact on Latin America, form the main themes of the book.

With China's accession to the WTO in Spring 2002 it is essential that Western investors and business people get an effective 'tool kit' which enables them to succeed in the highly competitive Chinese market and to deal with the issues and changes that the WTO will bring. As a guide for western investors this book gives the answer to the 100 most crucial questions on operating or restructuring business in China. The question and answer format allows the reader to select information quickly for a specific situation.

Britain's 19th-century diplomatic efforts for abolition of slavery took contemporary pre-eminence over most questions and almost sparked war with France in 1845. Kielstra examines the issue in Anglo-French relations: how conflicting moral, economic, and nationalist pressures and lobby groups affected domestic politics and high diplomacy. To preserve peace and their positions, statesmen had little margin for error as they framed policies which attacked the trade and satisfied mutually incompatible domestic opinions.

In this book, Elisabeth Valiente-Riedl evaluates the capacity of Fairtrade labelling to enhance the livelihoods of marginalized producers in developing countries. She looks critically at the evolution of fair trade values and markets, including its somewhat controversial engagement with conventional businesses, and problematizes the role of the 'ethical consumer.'

Building International Construction Alliances is the first book to address the challenges of international cooperation between medium-sized construction firms. Despite the considerable press coverage of international trade and cooperation, very little has been written on the specific topic of such strategic alliances among construction firms. The shrinking construction market in highly developed economies will force many firms to expand their capabilities and diversify their services in order to survive. The practice of partnering and strategic alliances and seeking cooperative agreements with foreign firms is one strategy which is generating increasing interest in the corporate planning departments of construction firms throughout the world. By presenting a case study of the historical evolution of Fratelli Dioguardi S.p.A and Beacon Construction Company, and reperesentative projects, Roberto Pietroforte offers the reader an uderstanding of * the way sucessful firms adjust their strategic,

The Japanese government is becoming less involved in shaping industrial policy - but what does this imply for the openness of Japanese markets to foreign competition?;In an extensive study of "post-development" Japan, Ulrike Schaede argues that, contrary to what many have suggested, the reduced role of government regulation may not result in more open markets. Instead, as has happened throughout Japanese history, deregulation and the recession of the 1990s have once again led Japanese trade associations to assume important regulatory functions of their own. They do this through "self-regulation" - setting and enforcing the rules of trade for their industries, independent from the government. As a result, many Japanese markets are now effectively governed by incumbent firms, in particular in terms of structuring the distribution system. As the record of post-war antitrust enforcement reveals, Japan's antitrust system considers most activities of self-regulation, other than outright price-fixing, as legal.

The last decade has witnessed important developments in international trade policy, both at the multilateral and regional levels. "International Trade Policy" provides an extensive, in-depth analysis of the theoretical and policy considerations which underlie these developments.
Topics covered include key theoretical and policy issues such as voluntary export restraints, anti-dumping and unfair trading practices, agricultural protectionism, and regionalism; the results of the Uruguay round of negotiations and their effect on policy; the issues which govern many current trade disputes, including trade-related intellectual property rights; the major issues involved in setting up regional trading areas; the likely future agenda for the newly created World Trading Organization. As trade negotiations become increasingly complex, this volume will be essential for all those who want to understand what governments do, in terms of trade policy, and how they do it.

This book provides a new source of data and analysis on the role of multinational companies in U.S. international trade over the past two decades. Developed from benchmark surveys of foreign direct investment conducted by the U.S. Government, it contains 96 tables and companion analyses covering affiliate trade, intrafirm trade, bilateral trade, ultimate beneficial owners, commodity (SITC) trade, and affiliate industry groups. The book is intended for researchers and analysts in international business, international trade, and international finance.

This book provides a new source of data and analysis on the role of multinational companies in U.S. international trade over the past two decades. Developed from benchmark surveys of foreign direct investment conducted by the U.S. Government, it contains 96 tables showing MNC-related trade for 1975, 1982, and 1989. Tables and analysis cover affiliate related trade, intrafirm related trade, bilateral trade with major trading partners, the role of ultimate beneficial owners, commodity (SITC) trade, and trade by affiliate industry groups. The data and analyses in the book will be equally useful to academic researchers and policy analysts in the fields of international business, international trade, and international finance.

The Routledge Handbook of Transatlantic Relations is an essential and comprehensive reference for the regulation of transatlantic relations across a range of subjects, bringing together contributions from scholars, policy makers, lawyers and political scientists. Future oriented in a range of fields, it probes the key technical, procedural and policy issues for the US of dealing with, negotiating, engaging and law-making with the EU, taking a broad interdisciplinary perspective including international relations, politics, political economic and law, EU external relations law and international law and assesses the external consequences of transatlantic relations in a systematic and comprehensive fashion. The transatlantic relationship constitutes one of the most established and far-reaching democratic alliances globally, and which has propelled multilateralism, trade regulation and the EU-US relationship in global challenges. The different contributions will propose solutions to overcome these problems and help us understand the shifting transatlantic agenda in diverse areas from human rights, to trade, and security, and the capacity of the transatlantic relationship to set new international agendas, standards and rules. The Routledge Handbook of Transatlantic Relations will be a key reference for scholars, students and practitioners of Transatlantic Relations/EU-US relations, EU External Relations law, EU rule-making, EU Security law and more broadly to global governance, International law, international political economy and international relations.

Winner of the 2014 European Book Prize. A "United States of Europe", Winston Churchill proposed in 1946, could "as if by a miracle transform" that "turbulent and mighty continent". "In this way only", he continued, "will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living". Today, nearly seventy years later, over 500 million people live in the member states of the European Union a greater number than in any other political community save for China and India. The currency of the Union, the euro, is used in economic transactions world-wide. Yet the EU is mired in the greatest crisis of its history, one that threatens its very existence as an entity able to have an impact upon world affairs. Europe no longer seems so mighty, instead but faces the threat of becoming an irrelevant backwater or, worse, once again the scene of turbulent conflicts. Divisions are arising all over Europe, while the popularity of the Union sinks. How can this situation be turned around? Now published as a revised and updated paperback that takes account of the May 2014 elections to the European Parliament, Turbulent and Mighty Continent makes a powerful case for a far-reaching and fundamental renewal of the European project as a whole.

Latin America has a pivotal role to play in international trade negotiations. This book focuses on the key issues for Latin American countries' participation in trade negotiations on the shifting ground of expanding trade agendas, diversifying negotiation fora, and emerging coalitions. Through analysis of the management of sectors, the management of competition and conflict, and the interplay of interests and coalitions, Diana Tussie and a team of local and international experts unravel the strands of the complex web of trade negotiations.

New economic conditions in the developed and newly industrializing world increasingly force us to question the foundations of existing international economic relationships. This study sheds some light on the complex relationship between law and economics. Beginning with the historical evidence of market structure, trade, and law, the work progresses to discuss transportation, export finance, marine insurance, and technology transfers. The author provides some interesting insights into and discussion on the future of international trade and the untested relationship between social and political chaos and the law.

With the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the U.S. proposal for the widening of NAFTA to include the whole of the Western Hemisphere, there is now a greater mutuality of interest between the U.S. and the rest of the hemisphere than at any time in the recent past. Mexico, Canada, and the United States continue to deepen and refine their understanding of the practical implications of NAFTA. Latin American and Caribbean countries--most now democracies--have altered their development philosophy, placing greater stress on the workings of the market and opening their own markets to import competition. North America and other hemispheric subregions are seeking greater economic integration behind lowered trade barriers. Under this new philosophy, what other countries of the hemisphere most want is assurance of access to the markets of each other and the United States. This common thinking is what makes the present a most propitious moment for hemispheric cooperation.

The twelve papers in this volume provide information on and analysis of trade flows among developing countries (which are mostly in the Southern Hemisphere). In the early 1980s the worldwide recession brought about a slowing of trade among the South-South countries. Subsequently, given the slower growth of the developed countries, the authors of these papers believe there is hope for economic growth, increased trade, and improved balance of payments in trade among the developing nations. The papers included here are the result of a research project initiated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). This is a relatively new field, and these papers are a major source of information. They go beyond the confines of neo-classical theory, discussing the dynamic role of trade in the development and industrialization of developing countries.

"South-South Trade" presents a diversity of topics and approaches. On the supply side, the work is on identifying the determinants of the shifting comparative advantage over time of newly industrializing countries (NICs) and their impact on directions of trade. On the demand side, changes in the global patterns of income distribution, especially relating to the capital surplus oil exporting countries supplying the south, are explored. In manufacturing trade, the changes in organization of production and trade, including the corporate strategies of transnational corporations (TNCs), are assessed. Specific papers deal with agricultural and manufactured products and investment-related technological services. This work analyzes South-South trade within the framework of a world undergoing growth and structural change, where developing countries have attempted to diversify both the composition and geographical destination of their imports.

This book looks at East Asia's monetary and financial integration from both Asian and European perspectives. It analyzes the Euro area's framework for monetary policy implementation, introduced in 1999. It reviews the efforts to foster regional monetary and financial integration and relates them to Europe's own evolution. It highlights successes and failures in both cases and offers a careful assessment of the state of play. A central theme of the volume is that the East Asian reliance on markets is not enough to promote the kind of deep integration that Europe has achieved and that provides protection against exchange rate turbulence. The implications of the recent global crisis are also examined.
Written by two of the foremost monetary experts on Asia and Europe, this book will be an invaluable aid to students and academics interested in the relevance of the European experience to the debates about monetary integration in East Asia.

Low growth has become the economic default in the West. While China and other Asian Tigers continue to steam ahead, western commentators either argue that stagnation is inevitable, ignoring growth in order to focus on other factors such as inflation or inequality, or disclaim growth altogether. In Why the West is Failing, veteran businessman and economist John Mills strongly refutes these arguments. He maintains that the anaemic performance of western economies since the 1970s is due to the dominance of a policy framework that has fatally ignored the importance of industrial competitiveness. He shows that the key to driving up productivity - and thereby growth - is to promote a revival of manufacturing through investment and a competitive exchange rate policy. This would produce the extra resources needed to tackle climate change and reduce the risk of western politics continuing to spiral towards populist excess. It would also allow us to impede the baleful political consequences of Chinese economic domination.

The Soviet Union and its Republics have immense business potential. Industrial sectors are in need of modernization and development, a domestic market of over 280 million people is hungry for consumer goods, and there is a largely untapped resource of intellectual property. In addition, there is a huge capacity for exportable raw materials.;Despite political manoeuvring, perestroika has created a framework for foreign investment and much work is going on behind the scenes to develop enabling legislation at all-Union and Republic level. Over 3000 joint ventures in the Soviet Union involving foreign firms have been registered. Joint stock companies are being set up and there is talk of privatization. Soviet citizens are learning how to run businesses in a market economy and Western firms are finding that they too have much to learn about trading in the USSR. This book is designed to help the learning process and provide working knowledge of foreign investment in the Soviet Union. It provides practical advice, from East and West, with chapters on business law, taxation, banking, foreign exchange and more.

This book discusses the economic interaction and interdependence that has arisen amongst nations in the contemporary world economy, the nature and significance of the pattern of trade balances that have resulted from them and the question of what, if anything, should be done by national governments about that pattern. The need for international coordination of economic policies is also investigated.

Globalization presents a paradox in light of the tendency toward regionalization in world trade and investment, and the emergence of the three economic super blocs--the Asia-Pacific Rim, North America, and the European Economic Community. The Third World countries and regions in Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere are left out of the action. This work states the fundamental problems that face Africa, draws the attention of the world policy makers to the problems, and proposes answers and solutions.

The post-Cold War era has seen an unprecedented move towards more legalization in international cooperation and a growth of third-party dispute settlement systems. WTO panels, the Appellate Body and investor-state dispute settlement cases have received increasing attention beyond the core trade and investment constituencies within governments. Scrutiny by business, civil society, academia, and trade and investment experts has been on the rise. This book asks whether we observe a transformation or a demise of existing institutions and mechanisms to adjudicate disputes over trade or investment. It makes a contribution to the question in which direction international economic dispute settlement is heading in times of change, uncertainty and increasing economic nationalism. In order to do so, it brings together chapters written by leading researchers and experts in law and political science to address the challenges of settling disputes in the global economy and to sketch possible scenarios ahead of us.

The book examines the economic performance and commercial prospects in the ASEAN economies. It provides a soundly researched and concisely presented analysis of (a) current economic growth, development and performance in the major economies (the economic tigers and dragons) in the ASEAN in the recent years, and (b) the prospects of these on investment, trade, and business between these economies and other countries in a global context via both bilateral and multilateral international economic relations.