This is the first book to tell the story of the diplomacy that has made the international trading system what it is today. It reveals how three major transformations over the past two centuries have shaped the way goods, services, capital and labour cross borders, as buyers and sellers meet in the global marketplace.

Business and NGOs are seen by many to be locked in a perpetual war of values and ideologies. What this book demonstrates is that the war has moved on. Many companies are now engaging with their stakeholders - even those with which they have traditionally had antagonistic relationships - as part of their strategies for improved social and environmental performance. With contributions from an outstanding and diverse group of experts from business, consultancy, research institutes, NGOs and academia, Terms for Endearment investigates the how and why of these new collaborations and provides concrete examples of business working with stakeholder pressure for sustainable development. The book forcibly argues the notion of organizations of civil society setting the standards for business behaviour in the 21st century. For those companies that choose not to pursue high standards of social and environmental performance, confrontation with NGOs must be expected, with negative consequences for sales, costs and social capital, i.e. the bottom line. Terms for Endearment therefore presents business with both a threat and opportunity as we move closer to establishing a social basis for global economic activity.

This book argues that Angola and Brazil were connected, not separated, by the Atlantic Ocean. Roquinaldo Ferreira focuses on the cultural, religious, and social impacts of the slave trade on Angola. Reconstructing biographies of Africans and merchants, he demonstrates how cross-cultural trade, identity formation, religious ties, and resistance to slaving were central to the formation of the Atlantic world. By adding to our knowledge of the slaving process, the book powerfully illustrates how Atlantic slaving transformed key African institutions, such as local regimes of forced labor that predated and coexisted with Atlantic slaving, and made them fundamental features of the Atlantic world's social fabric.

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.

The History of Mitsubishi Corporation in London examines the culture clashes, the friendships and the changing businesses that Mitsubishi Corporation's London branch oversaw in the eighty-five years following its foundation. It examines the paradox of how Mitsubishi Corporation could operate internationally for nearly a century, and still remain resolutely Japanese. With the slowdown in Japanese economic growth however, this book asks whether the corporation needs to change its mission, as well as controversially questioning whether information technology is in fact a barrier to, rather than a driving force for, successful globalization.
As a long-term employee of Mitsubishi both in Tokyo and London, Pernille Rudlin has a unique perspective on the world of Japanese corporate culture in Britain. No other corporate history has examined a Japanese subsidiary in such detail, including interviews with more than thirty employees past and present.

Integration with the world economy is crucial to economic success for most, if not all, transitional economies. Rapid development of successful exports is vital to that aim. Governments can help through export promotion policies. These include the general macroeconomic policies governing the level of domestic demand and the exchange rate, but also direct support through institutions to provide insurance, finance and marketing assistance for exporters. As important market failures affect foreign trade, governments have good reason to intervene. In transitional economies market failures are even more common and acute because of their recent history of planned allocation, but their attempts to correct for market failures and support exporters have been weak so far. There is much scope for improvement and for lessons to be learned for both them and for latecomers to transition.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) broke new ground in such areas as investment regulation and intellectual property protection, and, for the first time, linked labor and environmental issues to international trade policy. Implementation of this agreement required the creation of several new institutions: some mandated by the treaty itself; others resulting from supplemental labor and environmental legislation; and a few created in response to increased economic activity among the members. This book provides, for the first time, an in-depth examination and analysis of the structure, functions, and performance of the NAFTA institutions from their inception to the present day.

We have long been told that corporations rule the world, their interests seemingly taking precedence over states and their citizens. Yet while states, civil society and international organizations are well drawn in terms of their institutions, ideologies and functions, the world s 100,000 + global corporations are often more simply sketched as mechanisms of pure profit maximization. In this book, John Mikler recasts global corporations as political actors with complex identities and strategies. Debunking the idea of global corporations as exclusively profit-driven entities, he shows how they seek not only to drive or modify the agendas of states but to govern in their own right. He also explains why we need to re-territorialize global corporations as political actors which reflect and project the political power of the territories from which they hail We know the global corporations names, we know where they are headquartered, and we know where they invest and operate. Economic processes are increasingly produced by the control they possess, the relationships they have with other actors, the leverage they employ, the strategic decisions they make, and the discourses they create to enhance acceptance of their interests. This book represents a call to study how they do so, rather than making assumptions based on theoretical abstractions.

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.

With the negotiation of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the policies affecting access to, and conditions of competition in, service markets are today firmly rooted in the multilateral trading system. Written with policymakers and practitioners in mind, the essays in this volume address some of the most pressing questions arising in services trade today --some of which were not addressed by the first generation of GATS negotiators.

This collection presents a Post-Keynesian perspective on international economics and trade. All the major areas in international economics are covered, with the Post-Keynesian approach giving a welcome fresh perspective. The book is divided into five main sections:
* foreign trade
* open economy
* international payments systems
* exchange rate determination
* development.
Unavailable elsewhere, Foundations of International Economics presents original, state-of-the-art research by leading Post-Keynesian scholars.
Contributors include: Philip Arestis, Robert Blecker, Paul Davidson, Sheila Dow, Bruce Elmslie, Ilene Grabel, John McCombie, Eleni Paliginis, A.P. Thirlwall, L. Randall Wray, Johan Deprez, John T. Harvey,

The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently celebrated twenty years of existence. The general wisdom is that its dispute settlement institutions work well and its negotiation machinery goes through a phase of prolonged crises. Assessing the World Trade Organization overcomes this myopic view and takes stock of the WTO's achievements whilst going beyond existing disciplinary narratives. With chapters written by scholars who have closely observed the development of the WTO in recent years, this book presents the state of the art in thinking about WTO performance. It also considers important issues such as the origins of the multilateral system, the accession process and the WTO's interaction with other international organisations. The contributions shed new light on untold stories, critically review and present existing scholarship, and sketch new research avenues for a future generation of trade scholars. This book will appeal to a wide audience that aims to better understand the drivers and obstacles of WTO performance.

In Global Trade and Social Issues leading academics and NGO workers offer a much-needed counterweight to the liberal consensus. A critical reflection on the whole project of restructuring world trade, this is essential reading for those working in international political economy, development studies, international relations and environmental studies.

This book examines the strategic and economic logic behind the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Regional Cooperation. According to estimates, BCIM covers approximately 9 percent of the world's mass and 40 percent of the world's population spanning across four countries, constituting the confluence of East, Southeast and South Asia. It contributes about 13 percent to world trade but ironically only 5 percent to inter-regional trade. This volume compares the various approaches to cooperation - trade-led vs project-led, geo-political vs geo-strategic, Sino-centric vs India-led. The chapters explore the complex interplay of geo-economics and geo-politics associated with BCIM sub-regional cooperation in general, and the BCIM Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) in particular. It points to the current challenges that impede globalisation and economic growth, and critically reviews implications for the stakeholders, institutional frameworks and the spatial impact of the Corridor, especially on the underdeveloped regions. The book discusses the geo-political, geo-economic and geo-strategic advantages that will accrue to the member countries once the sub-regional cooperation becomes fully functional. It advocates the adoption of best practices from similar sub-regional groupings across the globe. This book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, geo-politics, strategic studies, sub-regional cooperation, South Asian studies, India-China relations, foreign trade and economics, besides those dealing with foreign policy and development cooperation. It will especially benefit policymakers, development agencies and strategic think tanks.

The mood of the international grain market changed remarkably in the decade before this book was originally published in 1986. In the early 1970s, which were years of buoyancy and high prices, the concern was with feeding the starving millions and subsequently, in the United states, with the use of the grain embargo weapon to put pressure on the Soviet Union. In the mid-1980s, after a long period in which the recession kept prices down, the climate was much gloomier. The book considers the state of the major supplier countries and their particular problems. It charts the changes in the market and discusses major issues of international concern. It concludes by surveying prospects for the market.

The Political Economy of Middle East Peace looks at the political economy of the Middle Eastern peace process with a focus on the politics of trade. Contributors investigate the ways new commercial alliances develop as a result of economic agencies established via the Arab-Israeli peace process and look at institutions which contribute to redirection of Arab intra- and inter-regional trade, such as the Palestine Monetary Authority, the Middle East Development Bank and free trade zone agencies in Aquaba and Dubai.

Despite the long history of international economic activity and the dominant role of Dutch MNEs in the world economy there has been relatively little academic research in the area. This book explores issues such as:
* What historical precedents underlie the character of Dutch MNE activity
* How and why the technological specialisation of the Dutch economy and its firms has evolved to its current state
* The changing FDI activity of Dutch MNEs
* The strategic aspects of Dutch MNE activity in terms of location and R&D
* The implications for Dutch MNEs of globalisation and economic integration
Comprehensive in its coverage, this book will be of great interest to students and researchers in international business.

This study examines issues of trade policy in the light of the experience of developing Asian economies. Case studies highlight rapidly unfolding issues in trade and development, with reference to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. The issues explored include trade liberalization and industrial adjustment, employment and equity outcomes of export-oriented industrialization, the impact of structural adjustment reforms on savings and investment, the role of foreign direct investment in export expansion, problems involved in the use of inter-industry linkages as policy criteria under export-oriented industrialization and the role of world market conditions in determining export success. Prema-chandra Athukorala offers an overview of the evolution of post-war thinking on trade and development, followed by ten self-contained case studies, each of which focuses upon a specific policy issue. The author draws upon current theory and methodology and demonstrates the policy implications of his findings. Two key concerns which guide the empirical analysis throughout are the interconnection between theory and practice and the choice of analytical

This is the first comprehensive and updated study of the Arab economic boycott of Israel to be published since it started to disintegrate in the aftermath of the Madrid Conference of 1991. Gil Feiler explains the evolution and development of the boycott, which was first formally imposed by the Arab League in 1946, even before the State of Israel formally came into existence, and examines all aspects - including the theory, practice and legality - of the longest-lasting example of economic sanctions in the twentieth century, as seen from the American, Arab, European and Israeli perspectives. He also looks into the prospects of the slowly developing reality of economic relations and cooperation between Israel and its neighbours which has accompanied the Middle East peacemaking process.
As well as its broad horizons, one particular value of this study is that it is based in part on Arab archival material and recent documents, as well as on interviews with a wide range of personalities who were involved with the various aspects of the boycott over the years. As an academic who specializes in Middle East economics, as well as the director of a firm that deals both with Middle East market research and actual economic contacts in the region, Dr Feiler is well equipped to present and analyze the phenomenon of the boycott and its significance. All students of the Middle East conflict, economic sanctions and contemporary history will find this book invaluable.

This volume is a detailed account of the evolution and theory of multinational trading companies. In the history of multinational business, trading companies have played an especially significant and strategic role which continues until the present day, when Japan's "sogo shosha" and giant commodity traders feature among the world's largest businesses. However, the origins and strategies of multinational trading companies are little known compared to those of manufacturing multinationals. 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 19th century to the late 1990s. The authors adopt evolutionary and comparative perspectives to examine diversification strategies and organizational structures. This study contributes to our knowledge of the history and theory of international business.

The Handbook on International Trade Policy is an insightful and comprehensive reference tool focusing on trade policy issues in the era of globalization. Each specially commissioned chapter deals with important international trade issues, discusses the current literature on the subject, and explores major controversies. The Handbook also directs the interested reader to further sources of information. The expert contributors cover both traditional and more current concerns including: * history of thought on trade policy * the development of multilateral organizations such as the World Trade Organization * border restrictions and subsidies * regional trade agreements * trade and the environment * animal, plant and food safety measures * international protection of intellectual property and sanctions. Presenting a broad and state-of-the-art perspective on the topic, this highly accessible Handbook will prove an invaluable resource to researchers, academics, policymakers and practitioners concerned with international trade policy.

This volume approaches the history of Japanese-German relations from a business history perspective. Starting with an overview of Japanese-German relations which focuses on the environment, strategies and forms of inter-firm relations, Akira Kudo then uses case studies to provide a broader picture, before finally considering strategy, organizational strategy and technology and management transfer in the light of problems identified earlier. All the case studies are chosen to meet specific criteria which allow the author to move from individual details towards a broader picture and thus provide a history of Japanese-German business relations during the Inter-war years.

Timely and accessible, this is the only available comprehensive review of the goals, operation, and history of the U.S. antidumping laws coupled with a strategy for using those laws to promote U.S. trade policy and economic objectives in the post-Uruguay Round World.

Mastel, a former congressional adviser to U.S. trade negotiators, brings a unique expertise to the subject, having been involved in the creation and the analysis of the laws. He brings fact to bear on the sometimes heated debate over the merits of antidumping laws and the impact of the Uruguay Round upon U.S. antidumping laws.

Thoroughly documented, the book features charts and international case studies (including the steel, electronics, ball beatings, cement, and agricultural products industries) the at resent the historical and economic record of U.S. antidumping laws. In addition, the complete text of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 is conveniently reproduced in the appendix.

This volume reviews the goals, operation, and history of American antidumping laws coupled with a strategy for using those laws to promote U.S. trade policy and economic objectives in the post-Uruguay Round GATT talks.

An international team of contributors argues in this book that a policy of cheap labour, combined with currency devaluation, is no longer sufficient for export success. Through a series of case studies of firms in the textile, garment and electronic industries of five Asian economies - Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam - they set out to demonstrate that, to sustain competitiveness, learning and capability formation are essential. Among the main findings of these case studies are that growing international competition and rising labour costs have reduced the time that new entrants into a market have for enjoying wage and cost advantages; that there are no fixed formulas or sequences in technology-capability formation for firms to become successful exporters of manufactured goods; that continuous innovation in product design, production processes, management routines, marketing, and the organization of production are the basis for competitiveness in all industries and in all countries; that learning and internalization of knowledge are crucial to acquiring the technological know-how to break into export markets and then maintain market share; and that domestic demand is