This collection of orchestrated analyses develops an "issues and process framework" for assessing the Enterprise for the Americas Initiative to develop freer trade within the Western Hemisphere. This volume comes at a time of transition in U.S. domestic politics and global trade negotiations. Anticipating the critical choices to be faced by the Clinton administration, as well as other public and private sector leaders here and abroad, the analyses in the volume, written by a team of leading international trade and economic development specialists, will provide the reader with insights into the complex political, economic, social, and, to some extent, technical character of efforts to expand regional and world trade.

David Begg examines how four small open economies- Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Ireland- have managed the stresses and strains of Europeanisation since the single market came into being, and as fault lines begin to appear within the European integration project. In particular, he drills down into the Irish Polity to see how its institutions have engaged with Europe and how decisions on critical issues like integration, EMU and Social Partnership were reached. He finds that both Ireland and Europe are at a critical juncture for different but interconnected reasons, and identifies the options that are available to them.

Despite the fact that the globalization process tends to reinforce existing inequality structures and generate new areas of inequality on multiple levels, systematic analyses on this very important field remain scarce. Hence, this book approaches the complex question of inequality not only from different regional perspectives, covering Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin and Northern America, but also from different disciplinary perspectives, namely cultural anthropology, economics, ethnology, geography, international relations, sociology, and political sciences. The contributions are subdivided into three essential fields of research: Part I analyzes the socio-economic dimension of global exclusion, highlighting in particular the impacts of internationalization and globalization processes on national social structures against the background of theoretical concepts of social inequality. Part II addresses the political dimension of global inequalities. Since the decline of the Soviet Union new regional powers like Brazil, China, India and South Africa have emerged, creating power shifts in international relations that are the primary focus of the second part. Lastly, Part III examines the structural and transnational dimension of inequality patterns, which can be concretized in the rise of globalized national elites and the emergence of multinational networks that transcend the geographical and imaginative borders of nation states.

This book highlights strategies for poverty reduction in developing countries, with emphasis on the power of the market mechanism and vigor of the private sector, focusing ODA on a few longer term challenges and leveraging advances in technology to the fullest, and underlining the importance of human rights and security.

The major advances in transport services and the export of capital from Europe during the years 1870-1914 made possible the development of a true world economy. This volume studies the British Empire's export activity in light of its world power status. Saul traces the development of British overseas trade from its beginnings prior to European imperialism around the world through its standing at the outbreak of World War I.

The major advances in transport services and the export of capital from Europe during the years 1870-1914 made possible the development of a true world economy. This volume studies the British Empire's export activity in light of its world power status. Saul traces the development of British overseas trade from its beginnings prior to European imperialism around the world through its standing at the outbreak of World War I.

New Urban Management discusses how the logic of economic flows poses a challenge to local governments throughout the world. The book argues that the increased fluidity in economic life must have its reflection in local economic development policy.

The EU is under stress. Many believe in the euro's demise because they blame it for the 2008 financial crisis and the unwelcome austerity measures. Many resent the immigrants from the new EU member states, threatening the survival of the Single European Market. Many complain of a 'Brussels diktat', seeking an escape from joint EU decisions. Several member states want to unilaterally deal with the enhanced competition from the emerging markets, especially China, undermining the EU's 'common commercial policy', run by a single EU commissioner. And many in the UK want its exit from the EU, diluting EU unity and reducing its global influence. These concerns are either misguided or require a stronger EU to deal with them - this book aims to address these issues by considering the nature, importance and future of the European Union.

In this book, Xiaoke Zhang addresses two fundamental political and policy questions: why do politicians have heterogeneous incentives to pursue public-regarding policies through capital market reforms and why do they differ in their abilities to initiate and implement market reform policies decisively and resolutely?

Published annually, this 29th edition brings together a unique combination of the latest data on, and detailed analysis of, a vast region. Scrupulously updated by Europa's experienced editors, the volume also includes contributions from regional specialists. General Survey Essays written by acknowledged experts on the area provide an impartial overview of the region. Country surveys Individual chapters on each country, comprising: - essays on the geography, recent history and economy of each country - a statistical survey - a full directory section - a select bibliography. Regional Information A directory of research institutes and bibliographies of books and journals covering Latin America and the Caribbean.

Will the European Union survive the global economic crisis? Will the Arab Spring trigger new forms of regional cooperation in North Africa? Will Asian regionalism prevail? This volume investigates the intimate relationship between regional governance processes and global crises. Starting with a thorough analysis of the so-called Eurocrisis and its impact on the European Union, the contributors look at how regional cooperation and integration in the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Latin America have been improved or challenged by local and global crises. Through a selection of topical studies dealing with economic, humanitarian and democratic crises, they discuss the future evolutions of regional governance and call for a new paradigm to put 'citizens' at the centre of regionalism.

This book analyses EU food law from a regulatory, economic and managerial perspective. It presents an economic assessment of strategies of food safety regulation, and discusses the different regulatory regimes in EU food law. It examines the challenges of food safety in the internal market as well as the regulatory tools that are available. The book's generic theorising and measurement of regulatory effects is supplemented by detailed analysis of key topics in food markets, such as health claims, enforcement strategies, and induced risk management at the level of the organizations producing food. The regulatory effects discussed in the book range from classical regulatory analysis covering e.g. effects of ex-ante versus ex-post regulation and content-related versus information-related regulation to new regulatory options such as behavioral regulation. The book takes as its premise the idea that economic considerations are basic to the design and functioning of the European food supply arena, and that economic effects consolidate or induce modification of the present legal structures and principles. The assessments, analyses and examination of the various issues presented in the book serve to answer the question of how economic theory and practice can explain and enhance the shaping and modification of the regulatory framework that fosters safe and sustainable food supply chains.

Southeast Asia is going through tremendous changes. The market-oriented economies of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand have been showing robust growth, particularly before the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98. The transitional economies of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam are also exhibiting signs of economic awakening and revival after years of internal political and social turmoil. Despite these encouraging signs, the region still has a long road ahead to achieve developed nation status.Southeast Asia: The Long Road Ahead is a serious and concise study on various important economic aspects of Southeast Asia. Existing economic studies on the region are mainly topical in nature. Most of the publications only attempt to offer a partial treatment of the issues and fail to examine these issues in a holistic manner. The objective of this book is to provide a more complete cross-country discussion on the economic issues and problems facing Southeast Asia. Besides critically examining the multiple facets of changes and problems that have been and will be encountered by Southeast Asia, the book also presents a lucid exposition on the prospects of the region. However, it does not stop there. It moves on to provide pointers and suggestions on how Southeast Asian countries should proceed with their development options and processes. The book should be of interest to economists, graduate students on Southeast Asia and all those who want to have a better knowledge and understanding of the important Southeast Asian region.In this latest edition, data were updated and new emerging trends explored. A significant portion of the text was redrafted so as to make this edition more compact and concise than the earlier ones. New "Suggested Discussion Topics" are added, and contemporary issues such as the Global Financial Tsunami, Asian economic integration and Michael Spence's World Bank Report are also dealt with.

By carefully analyzing a comprehensive data base of questionnaire responses gathered over the past two decades in the developing regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America, this book arrives at a series of powerful conclusions regarding the determinants of well-being and happiness of all sectors of society. The book explores the relative importance of health and education, as well as addressing social and demographic issues surrounding happiness, and the effect of ageing. Psychological factors are also discussed, such as the effects of a belief in social mobility in the less well-off. The authors explore why income poverty is not the only form of poverty, and focus on other factors that uplift the well-being and happiness of the underprivileged.

"Sudden negative events are part of life, but some are more disastrous than others. This book analyzes the consequences of sudden negative shocks in the short and long term well being of people and how the policies implemented before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the event could help prevent these long lasting effects"--Provided by publisher.

Over the past century, the rise and fall of economic policy orders has been shaped by a paradox, as intellectual and institutional stability have repeatedly caused market instability and crisis. To highlight such dynamics, this volume offers a theory of economic ideas in political time. The author counters paradigmatic and institutionalist views of ideas as enabling self-reinforcing path dependencies, offering an alternative social psychological argument that ideas which initially reduce uncertainty can subsequently fuel misplaced certainty and crises. Historically, the book then traces the development and decline of the progressive, Keynesian, and neoliberal orders, arguing that each order's principled foundations were gradually displaced by macroeconomic models that obscured new causes of the Great Depression, Great Stagflation, and Global Financial Crisis. Finally, in policy terms, Widmaier stresses the costs of intellectual autonomy, as efforts to 'prevent the last crisis' have repeatedly obscured new causes of crises.

This book provides an enlightening comparative analysis of Japan s and Italy s political cultures and systems, economics, and international relations from World War II to the present day. It addresses a variety of fascinating questions, ranging from the origins of the authoritarian regimes and post-war one-party rule in both countries, through to Japan s and Italy s responses to the economic and societal challenges posed by globalization and their international ambitions and strategies. Similarities and differences between the two countries with regard to economic development models, the relationship of politics and business, economic structures and developments, and international relations are all clearly highlighted and explained. This innovative book on an under-researched area will appeal to all who have an interest in the politics and economics of these two important countries.

In Brazil, the confluence of strong global demand for the country's major products, global successes for its major corporations, and steady results from its economic policies is building confidence and even reviving dreams of grandeza --the greatness that has proven elusive in the past. Even as the current economic crisis tempers expectations of the future, the trends identified in this book suggest that Brazil will continue its path toward becoming a leading economic power in the future.

Once seen as an economic backwater, Brazil now occupies key niches in energy, agriculture, service industries, and even high technology. Yet Latin America's largest nation still struggles with endemic inequality issues and deep-seated ambivalence toward global economic integration.

Scholars and policy practitioners from Brazil, the United States, and Europe recently gathered to investigate the present state and likely future of the Brazilian economy. This important volume is the timely result. In "Brazil as an Economic Superpower?" international authorities focus on five key topics: agribusiness, energy, trade, social investment, and multinational corporations. Their analyses and expertise provide not only a unique and authoritative picture of the Brazilian economy but also a useful lens through which to view the changing global economy as a whole.

The Financing of Foreign Direct Investment examines the communication gap between business leaders and international economists when it comes to financing the overseas operations of domestic firms. Gilman argues that economists and business people have been speaking 'two different languages' when it comes to these issues, and he explores the different positions adopted by economists and business people to provide a plausible explanation of the determinants of capital flows financing foreign direct investment that incorporates the main elements of both approaches.

Exploring bilateral narratives of identity at a socio-discursive level from 1990 onwards, this book provides a new approach to understanding how Chile and Australia imagine and discursively construct each other in light of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement signed in 2008.

Through the tools of economics, Annunziata's vivid and gripping book shows how the global financial crisis was caused by a failure of leadership and common sense in which we all played a role. The insights of this clear and compelling analysis are essential for learning the right lessons from the crisis, and seeing new threats around the corner.

The book addresses the topic of EU legitimacy by exploring the forms, origins and effects of citizens' support to EU institutions. Through examining the wide-ranging levels of support, the authors show how these multi-faceted attitudes cast shade on the outdated, somewhat one-dimensional concept of Euroscepticism. Di Mauro and Memoli not only observe how political issues and the economic crisis affect public opinion, but also demonstrate how national contexts play a crucial role in shaping attitudes towards Europe at any level of support. This volume shows how the lack of accountability in the EU system makes it increasingly vulnerable to the negative effects of economic and societal shocks, and the 'national lens' that we view the EU through influences our voting choices.

Friesen demonstrates how transnational CSOs and NGOs can influence the context in which international political decisions are made. She shows how, by reframing the issues, the transnational campaign for the cancellation of third world debt altered the dominant discourse, shifted the agenda and thereby shaped political outcomes.

Within an environment made difficult by the continuing economic crisis, the Italian model for crisis management and resolution has helped to avoid many difficulties faced by intermediaries across the globe. However, the Italian model for crisis management will be forced to adapt to the new EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, which introduces a unified regime for such events in all EU countries. This book explores the various methods for crisis management employed in Italian finance. The authors discuss procedures used in the banking and insurance sectors, such as deposit guarantee schemes and alternative dispute resolution systems. They also explore the evolution of the administrative sanctioning systems, and the roles of tax rules and credit rating agencies in Italian finance. This book analyses the evolution of the various crisis management processes, and discusses potential goals and improvements within the context of recent measures suggested by the European Commission.

Conscious that trust deficit is a principal concern in East Asia, the book attempts to suggest ways to enhance confidence in certain key areas such as disputes in East and South China Seas, maritime CBMs, impact of economic interdependence on security, and issues concerning identity and values in Asian thinking.