The discourse on globalization has become polarized. Proponents consider globalization as the silver bullet for targeting growth in the world economy and for poor countries specifically, while opponents see it as the poisoned arrow of exploitation and impoverishment of the Third World. Splendidly edited, The Asymmetries of Globalization deals with the 'what' and 'how' but primarily with 'why' globalization has most often negative outcomes for developing countries. It breaks new ground in approaching globalization not only as trade commodities, but also as trade in positional goods ('decommodified trade.') The two novel and munificent forms of post-Ricardian decommodified trade, trade in services and trade in hard currency in the form of currency substitution, are sculpted in the introductory chapter as the foundation of the systematic asymmetries of globalization. The analytical approach of introducing 'positional goods' in the form of decommodified trade, in the discource on globalization, is original. It is also timely in a situation where the tail of trade in 'services' has grown enough to wag the traditional trade-in-commodities dog of globalization. The balance of the chapters in this volume constitute a tapestry of case studies that elaborate and empirically investigate the causes of systematic asymmetries of globalization. The book's appeal transcends economics to make it also highly useful to students across the disciplines of sociology and political science, especially in the fields of international political economy and the politics of international trade. It will certainly enlighten all those working in the general areas of globalization, poverty and economic development.

This book is based on the premise that Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) in the Asia-Pacific significantly impact on the material progress of the peoples of this region. These impacts - in terms of the benefits and costs associated with RTAs - will vary greatly from country to country. The internationally acclaimed contributors examine the theoretical perspective of RTAs in relation to exchange rates, the role and goals of the WTO and agriculture. The tensions and trade frictions resulting from the formation of trade blocs and their conflicts with the roles and goals of the WTO are also examined in the book. Those economies that are considered the economic powerhouses of the region including China, Japan, South Korea, major ASEAN countries and Australia are discussed in depth. The findings of the book suggest that RTAs are becoming increasingly popular in the Asia-Pacific region. However the associated costs and benefits depend on a number of complex factors including exchange rates, negotiation skills, the sectors included or excluded from the RTA, and the level of economic development of the nations signing the RTAs. The book will be particularly useful to academics, researchers, consultants, students, policy makers (including trade negotiators), and practitioners involved in trade and development in the Asia-Pacific region.

This is an insightful analysis of the Chinese economy in the context of globalization after China's admission to the WTO. The book is organized into four parts. The first part addresses globalization and privatization. The second part deals with fiscal policy and financial development. The third part focuses on international trade and industrial development, and the fourth part is devoted to economic performance and the labour market. This is an in-depth study that is supported by updated data and quantitative analysis, which provide a rich basis for better understanding possible future directions and challenges of the Chinese economy. This volume is an indispensable source for scholars and students interested in Chinese economic studies and many chapters should also be of interest to a wide range of readers.

This book explores the reasons for the collapse of World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings (as in Seattle in 1999 and Cancun in 2003) and the political conflicts that arose therein. Drawing from a body of literature concerned with how and why institutions emerge and change, and an analysis of the development of multilateral trade regulation that stretches from the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947 to the WTO's Hong Kong ministerial meeting in December 2005, the book argues that the political conflicts played out during ministerial meetings are the inevitable product of the way the institution was created and has since developed. It argues that the specific purposes for which multilateral trade regulation was created built into the institution an asymmetry of economic opportunity that has been extended and amplified through time. This asymmetry has come to shape the interaction of member states in such a way that contestation over the shape and direction of the trade agenda - and on occasion the collapse of a ministerial meeting - are inevitable consequences. However, the rather than significantly disrupting the development of the multilateral trade regulation, the book explains why the collapse of ministerial meetings may actually have helped take it forward.

Advancing a constructivist conceptual approach, this book explains the surprising outcome of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union and developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (the ACP countries). Despite the EU's huge market power, it had limited success with the EPAs; an outcome that confounds materialist narratives equating trade power with market size. Why was the EU unable to fully realise its prospectus for trade and regulatory liberalisation through the EPA negotiations? Emphasising the role of social legitimacy in asymmetrical North-South trade negotiations, Murray-Evans sets the EPAs within the broader context of an institutionally complex global trade regime and stresses the agency of both weak and strong actors in contesting trade rules and practices across multilateral, regional and bilateral negotiating settings. Empirical chapters approach the EPA process from different institutional angles to explain and map the genesis, design, promotion and ultimately limited impact of the EU's ambitious prospectus for the EPAs. This volume will be particularly relevant to students and scholars of international trade and development and the EU as an international actor, as well as those researching international political economy, African politics and international trade law.

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.

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.

Ship management is a worldwide activity. Modern ships are sophisticated designed structures equipped with several automatic devices. It is estimated that 90 per cent of commodities transported worldwide are carried by ships. Therefore there is great interest from many private and public organizations that those ships are operating, manned, designed and maintained within international acceptable standards. The obligation of stakeholders to comply with maritime regulations is included in most statutory and commercial agreements and therefore inadequate implementation of maritime regulations exposes stakeholders to commercial risks. This book explores how the application of mathematical decision-making tools could be used to manage maritime regulations. Performance management tools are proposed which would allow stakeholders to monitor the regulatory performance of their organization in order to reduce or eliminate those commercial risks. The process of introducing an implementation process for maritime regulations worldwide is described within this text. An emphasis is put on the role of main stakeholders in the regulatory process and reasons that increase the willingness of stakeholders to participate in the implementation of regulations. This book will be of interest to scholars and students interested in the management of the shipping industry as well as ship owners and managers who are charged with implementing maritime regulations.

Rorden Wilkinson explores the factors behind the collapse of World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerials - as in Seattle in 1999 and Cancun in 2003 - and asks why such events have not significantly disrupted the development of the multilateral trading system.

He argues that the political conflicts played out during such meetings, their occasional collapse and the reasons why such events have so far not proven detrimental to the development of the multilateral trading system can be explained by examining the way in which the institution was created and has developed through time.

In addition, this new text:

• explores the development of the multilateral trading system from the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947 to the WTO's Hong Kong ministerial in December 2005
• examines the way in which the interaction of member states has been structured by the institution's development
• assesses the impact of institutional practices and procedures on the heightening of political tensions
• and explains why WTO ministerials exhibit a propensity to collapse but why the breakdown of a meeting has so far not prevented the institution from moving forward

This book will be of interest to scholars and students of international politics, economics and law

This book examines regional economic integration in West Africa within the context of the institutional evolution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It uses the tools of the New Institutional Economics School to explore the origins and development of the most recent ECOWAS Treaty. Particular attention is given to the interface between domestic legal arrangements and the success of open markets at the regional and international levels. The impetus given to regional integration schemes by the belief that international economic institutions are designed to serve the interests of advanced countries is also considered.

The first scholarly attempt at a comprehensive analysis of a crucial area of international trade law and institutions, this volume provides critical insights into the role played by developing countries in the GATT/WTO committees. It explores how the developing countries have shaped and been shaped by the committees on anti-dumping, textiles, agriculture, and trade and environment, and suggests how these countries can further improve their participation. In doing so, the book challenges established assumptions about how the developing countries have engaged with the developed countries and with one another under the umbrella of the multilateral trading system.

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 debates over what African economic integration and development actually entails continue across international economic organizations, national governments and NGOs. Despite the glare of media attention and the position this issue has on international political agendas, few comprehensive accounts exist that fully examine why this process will be inevitable in the 21st century and how integration of national economies can be attuned to attaining the socio-economic goals and aspirations of member-countries. This book addresses this problem. It combines theory with application, enumerating the imperatives and initiatives governments will be forced to confront; providing insights for educators and students in African development, for policy makers in African governments, and for inter-governmental organizations.

The current value of global trade has reached a staggering annual figure of $6 trillion in merchandise crossing borders. Such prolific global trading has, at the same time, begun to raise fears of pandemics and concerns for global health. Yet, investment in public health infrastructure and disease control was never designed to cope with international trade of this volume and diversity. Indeed, most health systems lag far behind, especially in poor countries. This has created new vulnerabilities for global populations to the introduction and amplification of infection through trade. Public fears have been further heightened by frightening news reports of deadly diseases such as Mad Cow disease and E. Coli. Risky Trade: Infectious Disease in the Era of Global Trade provides a thorough examination of the actual risks posed by disease in the age of globalization. Drawing on the economics of international trade and epidemiology, the author explores the critical health issues arising from the enormous increase in global trade and travel. Issues covered include: c The scale of the problem with particular reference to the Sakai outbreak of E. Coli; c Risks from particular microbes - Enteric and viral infections; Highly infectious agents; Antimicrobial resistance; and, Stealth agents; c Global outbreaks as a result of human travel and trade; c Prevention, surveillance and control; c The future health of global trading. In addition to highlighting the problems, the book also addresses some of the potential benefits the same globalization can bring to epidemic control through surveillance, diagnostics, treatment and investigation. The empirical approach ties together existing descriptions and case studies of epidemics building a comprehensive framework for examining new events and considering historical experience with infectious outbreaks. The volume will be a valuable guide to students, academics, practitioners, and policy makers in the areas of international trade, health economics, epidemiology, international/public health and disease control.

This is a collection of papers dedicated to the memory of well-known WTO staffer Bijit Bora who died suddenly in 2006. The papers include applied analysis of questions of policy in international trade in fields related to Bora's interests, including foreign direct investment, trade in services, competition policy, and trade and development. It contains previously unpublished papers by Bora himself on the impact of the WTO.

Before his untimely death in 2000, the brilliant young Israeli economic historian Klug conducted a thorough survey into the different theories of international trade. The results of this are now available here for the first time with an introduction from Warren Young and Michael Bordo.

Utilizing the inter-temporal open economy model as a case study, Theories of International Trade illuminates the phenomenon of recurrence and the problem of recurring doctrines in economic thought and analysis. This compelling book will be of interest to scholars in the history of economic thought, and to international economists in general.

In this brilliantly researched expos, 'communications Rottweiler' Sharon Beder blasts open the backrooms and boardrooms to reveal how the international corporate elite dictate global politics for their own benefit. Beder shows how they created business associations and think tanks in the 1970s to drive public policy, forced the worldwide privatization and deregulation of public services in the 1980s and 1990s (enabling a massive transfer of ownership and control over essential services) and, still not satisfied, have worked relentlessly since the late 1990s to rewrite the very rules of the global economy to funnel wealth and power into their pockets. Want a globalized and homogenized world of conflict, poverty and massive environmental degradation run by a corporate oligarchy that wipes its feet on democracy? Or a democratic world, where poverty is history, companies work for people and clean water is a right, not a privilege you pay for? Beder 's message is clear - it 's your world, and it 's time to fight for it.

There are competing theories to explain the reasons behind the international competitiveness of manufacturing in Asia. Analysing these different theories will bring important lessons, not just for Asia, but for developing economies the world over. This lucid book studies industries and firms in East Asia and examines the major determinants of their economic performance. With contributions from such leading thinkers as Ha-Joon Chang and Rajah Rasiah, the book covers such themes as: *industrial policy and East Asia *Taiwan's information technology industry *The role of the government in technological capability building Manufacturing Competitiveness in Asia touches on many important themes and issues and as such will be of great interest to students, academics and policy-makers involved in industrial economics, international trade and Asian studies.

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.

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.

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.

Many economists celebrate markets as institutions promoting efficiency and supporting freedom and liberty; others condemn them for generating economic inequality and social disharmony. Market Sense offers a critical evaluation of both perspectives and outlines a new economics of markets and society. This key book concentrates upon the historic associations of the marketplace in the work of Aristotle, Adam Smith, and Karl Marx, and demonstrates that what markets were imagined to entail for society was critical to each author's understanding of the central social problems of their time. Smith's work receives particular attention because his market sense underlies so much of the official defense of contemporary globalization. Marx's mature work on the other hand both provides a way to break the mechanical linking of markets to particular social outcomes and encourages us to displace the market from the center of economic analysis it has occupied both in the history of political economy and in recent controversies over globalization.

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.

First published in 1999, this work of economic history explores the evolution of the single market and of economic and political integration in Europe since World War II. Beginning with European integration and the genesis of the Customs Union, Bill Lucarelli then proceeds through the Trans-Atlantic Rivalry, the European Monetary Union (EMU) the European Monetary System (EMS) and on to Maastricht. The study intends to be a critique of the prevailing theories of negative integration, weighting economic integration against political integration, with a particular focus on the concept of 'spill-over'. Lucarelli argues against prevailing functionalist and neo-liberal interpretations of the process of economic integration. The conclusion is critical of the strategy toward European Monetary Union. The book is informed by Marxian and Post-Keynesian Economic theories.

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.