How does Ricardian specialisation affect economic development in relatively advanced countries? Keld Laursen, inspired by the myriad newly-emergent neoclassical/new industrial economics contributions, makes a detailed study of the role of specialisation and structural change in advanced economies. Until now, these theoretical contributions have not been subjected to a systematic empirical investigation. The three key questions are: * Do countries converge or diverge in terms of their specialisation patterns over time? * Can the role of technology explain the direction of national trade specialisation? * What are the implications of international specialisation patterns (and their changes) for economic growth? This study will be of immense interest to postgraduates and researchers working on theories and practices of innovation, trade, and growth.

The Everything But Arms (EBA) regulation of the European Union (EU) has been hailed as a groundbreaking initiative for developing countries. Since 2001 EBA grants almost completely liberalized access to the European market for products from the least-developed countries (LDCs). It quickly became the most symbolic European trade initiative towards the Third World since the first Lome Convention in the 1970s.

Given its central position in EU discourse and its continuing relevance for the European and international trade agenda, this book attempts to present a thorough analysis of EBA. European Union Trade Politics and Development contains contributions from a diverse range of scholars who collectively present a comprehensive picture of EBA. This volume also contains a broader analysis of EU trade politics towards the South, focusing on agricultural policy reform, Europe s evolving relationship with ACP countries (ex-colonies from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific), it links EBA with Europe s negotiating position within the World Trade Organization. Contributions to this volume also consider the continuing negotiation leverage of EBA within the Doha Development Agenda, make comparisons with United States trade policy vis-a-vis the LDCs, and focus on the economic effectiveness of EBA in terms of its stated objectives as well as on the institutional skirmishing within the EU."

This collection explores the analytical, empirical and normative components that distinguish socio-legal approaches to international economic law both from each other, and from other approaches. It pays particular attention to the substantive focus (what) of socio-legal approaches, noting that they go beyond the text to consider context and, often, subtext. In the process of identifying the 'what' and the 'how' (analytical and empirical tools) of their own socio-legal approaches, contributors to this collection reveal why they or anyone else ought to bother--the many reasons 'why' it is important, for theory and for practice, to take a social legal approach to international economic law.

Success in today's globalized business environment requires deep knowledge of varied areas, and the willingness to engage in commerce not just across geographic areas, but cross-culturally and environmentally as well. Doing Business in Latin America offers an in-depth look at a complex region, integrating practitioners' and scholars' ideas to examine business conducted in Latin America through the lens of international business and globalization. The book introduces, discusses, and explains in detail the historical, economic, cultural, political, and technological impacts of globalization and business conduct in Latin American countries. It also considers the contemporary business environment of the area, looking at how current country and regional factors have affected the process of starting and operating businesses. Finally, it looks forward to the emerging trends that portend the future of business in these countries. With its combination of contemporary analysis and historical discussion, this book is a vital tool to all scholars and practitioners with an interest in the opportunities offered by the current Latin American business environment.

Success in today's globalized business environment requires deep knowledge of varied areas, and the willingness to engage in commerce not just across geographic areas, but cross-culturally and environmentally as well. Doing Business in Latin America offers an in-depth look at a complex region, integrating practitioners and scholars ideas to examine business conducted in Latin America through the lens of international business and globalization.

The book introduces, discusses, and explains in detail the historical, economic, cultural, political, and technological impacts of globalization and business conduct in Latin American countries. It also considers the contemporary business environment of the area, looking at how current country and regional factors have affected the process of starting and operating businesses. Finally, it looks forward to the emerging trends that portend the future of business in these countries.

With its combination of contemporary analysis and historical discussion, this book is a vital tool to all scholars and practitioners with an interest in the opportunities offered by the current Latin American business environment."

A deep and unresolved tension exists within American trade politics between the nation's promotion of an open world trading system and the operations of its democratic domestic political regime. Whereas most scholarly attention has focused on how domestic politics has interfered with the United States' global economic leadership, Orin Kirshner offers here an analysis of the ways in which U.S. leadership in the arena of global trade has affected American democracy and the domestic political regime. By participating in multilateral trade agreements, the U.S. Congress has transferred its trade policymaking authority to the president and, through international trade negotiations, from the American state to the GATT/WTO regime. This reorganization of policymaking authority has resulted in the "triumph of globalism," and fundamentally alters the citizen-state relationship assumed in democratic theory. Kirshner illustrates this process through four case studies: The Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1945, The Trade Expansion Act of 1962, The Trade Act of 1974, The Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, and further examines the impact of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994 on the political and institutional structure of American trade politics up to the current period. American Trade Politics and the Triumph of Globalism makes a significant contribution to the study of both international trade and domestic American politics. This is essential reading for students and scholars of trade policy, international political economy, American politics, and democratic theory.

Originally published in 2004. This comprehensive collection provides an innovative analysis and a comparison between economic and financial integration in Europe and Latin America, addressed from a global, regional and country-specific perspective. It constitutes a valuable overview focusing on three topics: regional integration and monetary cooperation in Europe and Latin America, exchange rate strategies and financial sector structure. The collection is the outcome of a Workshop and high-level Seminar organized by the Banco de Espana and the European Central Bank that brought together senior European and Latin American central bankers, as well as senior representatives from international institutions. The 31 contributors presented high quality papers, allowing the reader to take advantage of a rigorous economic analysis that uses first-hand information and draws useful lessons for the future.

A deep and unresolved tension exists within American trade politics between the nation's promotion of an open world trading system and the operations of its democratic domestic political regime. Whereas most scholarly attention has focused on how domestic politics has interfered with the United States' global economic leadership, Orin Kirshner offers here an analysis of the ways in which U.S. leadership in the arena of global trade has affected American democracy and the domestic political regime. By participating in multilateral trade agreements, the U.S. Congress has transferred its trade policymaking authority to the president and, through international trade negotiations, from the American state to the GATT/WTO regime. This reorganization of policymaking authority has resulted in the "triumph of globalism," and fundamentally alters the citizen-state relationship assumed in democratic theory. Kirshner illustrates this process through four case studies: The Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1945, The Trade Expansion Act of 1962, The Trade Act of 1974, The Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, and further examines the impact of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1994 on the political and institutional structure of American trade politics up to the current period. American Trade Politics and the Triumph of Globalism makes a significant contribution to the study of both international trade and domestic American politics. This is essential reading for students and scholars of trade policy, international political economy, American politics, and democratic theory.

This Overview is an invaluable summary of the capstone volume Investing in Development, which brings together the core recommendations of the UN Millennium Project, commissioned by UN Director-General Kofi Annan and directed by Jeffrey D. Sachs, one of world's leading economists. The Overview provides a user friendly introduction to the main volume, which is the official action plan for ending poverty, providing practical investment strategies and approaches to financing them and an operational framework that will allow even the poorest countries to achieve the MDGs within ten years.

How the rise of the West was a temporary exception to the predominant world order What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war over other civilizations from 1500 onward. In contrast, Empires of the Weak argues that Europeans actually had no general military superiority in the early modern era. J. C. Sharman shows instead that European expansion from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries is better explained by deference to strong Asian and African polities, disease in the Americas, and maritime supremacy earned by default because local land-oriented polities were largely indifferent to war and trade at sea. Empires of the Weak demonstrates that the rise of the West was an exception in the prevailing world order.

This important new book critically examines the argument that structural asymmetries between the rich, industrialised countries of the global 'north' or 'centre' and the poor, largely primary-producing countries of the 'south' or 'periphery' could be responsible for an unequal division of the gains from international trade and investment. It explores this view by developing a model of Centre-Periphery relations using building blocks provided by Sraffa, Leontief, Pasinetti, Goodwin and others.

This book is a review of the development of the WTO dispute resolution procedure and the power and influence it has gained over the practises of the member countries as well as in other international treaties. The book addresses the development of environmental competency in the WTO and examines the arguments of those who oppose WTO rule making with impacts on the environment. The WTO's interactions with multilateral environmental agreements are considered and recent WTO cases including the 2011 US/Mexico tuna dispute and the US sea turtles decision are analysed in detail. In examining how an international organisation which was established with a specific purpose in mind has come to interact in fields beyond its original remit, James Watson demonstrates how the dispute resolution system at the WTO has come to work in a judicialised manner, operating with an informal system of precedent. This has led to the contracting parties placing more reliance on the decisions of the dispute panels and appeal body when considering policy options, with WTO rulings increasingly influencing the behaviour of national legislatures in regard to the environment. The book goes on to make concrete recommendations, based on existing practise in the WTO dispute resolution procedure, which could enhance decision making in environmental cases heard by the WTO. The book argues that this could be achieved with straightforward amendments to the WTO, based on existing practices endorsed under the WTO for other policy considerations. The WTO and the Environment will be of particular interest to academics and students of International and Environmental law.

Reflecting Professor Holzman's important work, this book deals with major issues relating to both East-West and intra-bloc trade. Professor Holzman explores the transition in Soviet bloc economies over the past fifteen years from balanced hard-currency trade to large deficits with the West and the consequent development of a huge hard-currency debt. He compares the causes and treatments of deficits in planned economies with those in market economies and explores the dramatic differences in foreign trade behavior exhibited by Eastern and Western nations and the difficulties that arise when these conflicting systems interact in world markets. He also assesses the impact of Western economic warfare on the Soviet Union and makes recommendations for future U.S. trade policy. The author next turns to the issue of intra-bloc trade. In its early years the USSR economically exploited the smaller East European nations, but many argue that the Soviet Union now subsidizes trade with its partners in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance in exchange for political, military, and ideological support-an argument that Professor Holzman strongly challenges. He also contends that CMEA, when viewed as a preferential trade group or customs union, has been markedly unsuccessful. On another level, Professor Holzman assesses the causes and possible cures for the serious, chronic problems related to currency inconvertibility, rigid bilateralism, and inability to use exchange rates as tools of economic adjustment. In an international economy growing ever more interdependent, the issues raised in these previously uncollected essays will continue to gain in importance as East and West meet in trade.

Building International Construction Alliances is the first book to address the challenges of international cooperation between medium-sized construction firms. By presenting a case study of the historical evolution of Fratelli Dioguardi S.p.A. and Beacon Construction Company, and representative projects, Roberto Pietroforte offers the reader an understanding of * the way successful firms adjust their strategic, organizational and operational settings to the changes in their market environments * the importance and advantages of international cooperation among medium-sized construction firms * the necessary analytical background for developing long-term collaboration.

In 1953, John Gallagher and Ronald Robinson shook the foundations of imperial history with their essay 'The Imperialism of Free Trade'. They reshaped how historians saw the British empire, focussing not on the 'red bits on the map' and the wishes of policy makers in London, but rather on British economic and political influence globally. Expanding on this analysis, this volume provides an examination of imperialism which brings the reader right up to the present. This book offers an innovative assessment and analysis of the history and contemporary status of imperial control. It does so in four parts, examining the historical emergence and traditions of imperialism; the relationships between the periphery and the metropolitan; the role of supranational agencies in the extension of imperial control; and how these connect to financialisation and international political economy. The book provides a dynamic and unique perspective on imperialism by bringing together a range of contributors - both established and up-and-coming scholars, activists, and those from industry - from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. In providing these authors a space to apply their insights, this engaging volume sheds light on the practical implications of imperialism for the contemporary world. With a broad chronological and geographical sweep, this book provides theoretical and empirical engagements with the nature of imperialism and its effects upon societies. It will be of great interest to a broad range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences, especially those working in History, Politics, and Management and Organisation Studies.

Outcomes in major multilateral trade negotiations are conventionally explained as resulting from interests weighted by (trading) power. Offering a different overview of the concepts we use to talk about the international trade regime, this edited collection puts the ideational foundation of world trade politics centre stage, and critically examines the terms in which we make sense of world trade politics. The concepts used to make sense of world trade politics are often employed strategically, making some aspects of reality visible and others invisible. Reflecting upon ten key concepts from 'trade' itself to 'protectionism' and 'justice', this book poses two broad questions: first, how and by whom have the meanings of different terms used to describe, challenge and defend world trade politics been constructed? Second, how have the individual terms changed over time, and with what consequences? The editors and contributors draw on a broad range of theoretical approaches, from post-structuralism or cognitivism to normative theory, shedding new light on why certain trade issues and agendas win out over others, who benefits from the current system of trade governance, and what contemporary challenges the World Trade Organization faces. In doing so, the book speaks to a growing and diverse constructivist literature in International Political Economy. This book will be of interest to scholars, students and policy professionals working within International Relations, International Political Economy and economics.

Relations between the new state of Israel and the European Union in the first twenty years of the Community's existence were a major policy issue given the background of the Holocaust and the way the new nation was established. This book focuses on Israel-European Community relations from 1957 to 1975 - from the signing of the Treaty of Rome (1957), which officially established the Common Market, to the conclusion of Israel's Free Trade Agreement with the Community. It reveals a new and key facet of Israeli diplomacy during the country's infancy, joining the many studies concerning Israel's relations with the United States, France, Germany and Britain.

Most scholars attribute systemic causes of food insecurity to poverty, human overpopulation, lack of farmland, and expansion of biofuel programs. However, as Chen argues here, another significant factor has been overlooked. The current food insecurity is not absolute food shortage, since global food production still exceeds the need of the entire world population, but a problem of how to secure access to resources. Distorted agricultural trade undermines world food distribution, and uneven distribution impedes people's access to food, particularly in poor developing countries. Examining EU and US agricultural policies and World Trade Organization negotiations in agriculture, the author argues how they affect the international agricultural trade, claiming that current food insecurity is the result of inequitable food distribution and trade practices. The international trade regime is advised to reconcile trade rules with the consideration of food security issues. Several other enforceable solutions to reduce world hunger and malnutrition are also advanced, including national capacity building, the improvement of governance, and strategic development of biofuel programs. This book will be of great interest to agricultural trade professionals and consultant policy makers in the EU, US and developing countries. Students and researchers with a concentration on international trade, agriculture economics, global governance and international law will benefit greatly from this study.

First published in 1907, this substantial volume emerged as guidance to those involved in international trade at the time of the British Empire, with a focus on seafaring commerce and its hazards. Its dedication to Herbert H. Asquith and support from the International Law Association suggest it was an authoritative text. The author aims to provide a full exposition of the rules of International Law which governed the commercial relations of the subjects of neutral and belligerent nations. Produced with lawyers, shipowners, shippers and public servants in mind, it covers issues including contraband, blockades, capture and rescue.

First published in 1999. Firms in manufacturing industries are influenced by the market-oriented liberalization reform policies in many developing countries since the late eighties. However, studies applying appropriate methodology to appropriate data seldom analyze the impact of reforms on the performance of production units such as manufacturing firms. The central point of this book is to address this issue by comparing firms' achievement with 'best practice' performance before and after reforms. This form of analysis is not new but it emphasizes a new focus or realignment of thinking within neoclassical economics to develop an analytical framework. This book examines the productivity growth of Bangladesh manufacturing firms as component measures of changes in capacity realization and technical progress. The significant feature of this approach is that it allows for the inefficiency of firms, and thus productivity growth is estimated rather than taking it as a residual as is usually measured in the traditional growth accounting approach. High rates of technological progress, on the one hand, can co-exist with low rates of capacity realization. On the other hand, relatively low rates of technological progress can co-exist with an improving capacity realization. As a result specific policy actions are required to address the difference in the sources of variation in productivity. In this respect this book would provide invaluable insights for policy makers, development practitioners, academics and students of economics.

First published in 1999. The key to successful regional development is more a personality issue than a global one, contends social economist Dr. James Cecora. With a fresh new interdisciplinary approach, Cecora tackles traditional economic theory to show that a distinct type of individual, the 'innovative entrepreneur', can do more to secure economic stability in a particular region than any multinational corporation. Arguing that global economics have spiraled out of control, Cecora builds a case for supporting and promoting the development of entrepreneurs at the local and regional level. These individuals will, he says, work at strengthening the regional economy over the long term because of their permanent attachment to a region, as well as in vested self-interest. Cecora compares the personalities of corporate managers to self-starting entrepreneurs, drawing the conclusion that the risk-taking ability of entrepreneurial types prompts more creative thinking and regionally appropriate action and solutions. This willingness to try new approaches is often a key to success.

Published in 1997, this book traces the history of foreign investment policy in South Korea from 1961 until the present. It shows how Korea adopted a highly successful interventionist strategy towards foreign direct investment channeling it into areas of the economy where it could achieve the most benefit for the country's economic development. In recent years Korea has tried to adopt a more market driven approach. However, differences within various institutions within the public and private sector led to policy confusion and ineffectiveness in meeting policy goals. The conclusion reached is that moving from an interventionist strategy to a market orientated strategy is difficult in this policy area. The book breaks new ground because it shows that while the conventional wisdom is that a 'market economy' approach is beneficial, moving from an interventionist policy to a market-orientated one is problematic and cannot be accomplished quickly.

Published in 1997, in this book an attempt has been made to analyze the legal structure of GATT and the WTO as well as those agreements which control trade in textiles. One of the GATT's major failures was its inability to come into line with the new economic reality and the needs of those states who created this system for controlling international trade. Trade in textiles was an excellent example of this. Now, the WTO aims to overcome this problem thanks to its greater pragmatism and its search for solutions to free trade difficulties. The WTO is not, however, the perfect solution. Its highly political character allows room for improvement even though the key to its success still lies with the effective cooperation of member states. As for the textile sector, this new panorama for trade in goods provides it with a new opportunity to finally return to the general legal framework in the year 2005.

The Doha Development Agenda held the promise of substantial gains for developing countries. However, the realization of these gains is far from obvious: the interests of various groups of countries differ greatly and technical complexities have hampered further progress since the very start of the negotiations. Against the background of the agenda of the present trade negotiations of the World Trade Organization and its slow progress, this enlightening book outlines the positions of the main players. Its central focus is to analyze the main effects of these positions and to find a way to complete the Doha Round so a meaningful contribution to its main objective i.e. development, is made. Key issues discussed include: the rise of the G20 group of developing countries led by Brazil, China and India the reasons for the failure of the WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancun in 2003 the prospects for the poorer developing countries - with emphasis on Africa in particular. This timely and topical book enables the reader to monitor and evaluate the ongoing negotiations in the DDA, and is a natural follow-up to the bestselling 2001 Routledge title World Trade Organization Millennium Round edited by Deutsch and Speyer.

This book is a detailed account of the evolution and theory of multinational trading companies. The book features contributions from an international selection of US, European and Asian economists and business historians which demonstrate the importance of trading companies in trade and investment flows in the world economy from the nineteenth century to the present. The authors adopt evolutionary and comparative perspectives to examine diversification strategies and organizational structures. This innovative study provides a major new dimension to our knowledge of the history and theory of international business.