As firms from East Asia gain global market share they are stirring trade disputes with import-competing firms in the West. Jessica Liao analyzes the role played by government-business collaboration in determining how effective East Asian governments are in helping their exporters gain an edge over western competitors through WTO litigation.

"U.S. International CompetitivenesS" challenges the common assertions concerning causes of America's growing trade deficit. The authors' unique empirical analysis of industry specific trade flows using numerous explanatory variables provides a vigorous test of the view that deficit growth is primarily due to unfair foreign trade practices, overzealous antitrust laws, slack U.S. management, and other microeconomic factors. Their conclusions on the actual culprits offer a sobering reassessment of current and proposed trade policies. American and foreign public policy makers, as well as trade and industrial organization scholars, will find this volume to be enlightening and provocative reading.

The first two chapters establish the parameters and theoretical background for the study. The authors then review the microeconomic explanations for sudden trade deficit growth, identify industry characteristics included in the study, and specify the model to be tested. Turning to an examination of the empirical results, they initially look at whether changes in industry characteristics over time could have increased the deficit. They then highlight microeconomic explanations for changes in the U.S. trade balance. Concluding chapters present detailed case studies of particular industries as well as the policy implications to be drawn from the study.

"Why didn't the global economic crisis of 2008-9 lead to a massive outbreak of protectionism? Chad P. Bown and his associates perform the great service of taking a very close look at trade policies around the globe to identify where trade barriers crept up and where they didn't. This book will be required reading for anyone interested in understanding why the world trading system survived the shock so well. At the same time, it reinforces the importance of careful monitoring of country trade policies." Douglas A. Irwin, Robert E. Maxwell '23 Professor, Department of Economics, Dartmouth College "With the onset of the Great Recession, the world trading system faced a defining moment. How has it performed? Answers to this question will be debated for years, but this timely volume takes a critical first systematic step in advancing our understanding of how countries did - and did not - respond to economic collapse with import restrictions. The editor has brought together a world-class team of empirical trade researchers to explore this question for eleven major developed and developing countries, and the result is a collection of studies rich in detail and subtle in implication that will help shape the research agenda on trade policy for years to come. This is a mustread volume for anyone interested in the world economy, researchers and policy-makers alike." Robert W. Staiger, Holbrook Working Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University "The years 2008 and 2009 witnessed a financial crisis, but not a trade crisis and a protectionist tsunami, in sharp contrast to the 1930s. Why such a resilience of the world trade regime? This book focuses on the contribution of 'temporary trade barriers' (antidumping, antisubsidy and safeguard measures) to such a resilience. It covers eleven of the largest economies, relies on a massive effort to have the best data available and provides a subtle mix of economic and legal analyses. It is definitively a must for everybody who wants to understand our troubled times." Patrick A. Messerlin, Professor of Economics, Groupe d'Economie Mondiale at Sciences Po

Condon explains key aspects of NAFTA and WTO rules on trade in goods and services, foreign direct investment and intellectual property protection and shows how these rules affect global business strategies. Cases are used to illustrate how these agreements work and how they affect crucial business interests. He examines the political context in which the negotiation and enforcement of trade agreements take place and how business people can enforce the rules and influence the negotiations to support global business strategies. He also shows how NAFTA, WTO, and global business strategy affect some of the major issues of our time, such as AIDS, global security, environmental protection, globalization protesters, and illegal migration from Mexico to the United States.

Anyone doing business from, to, and within the NAFTA region will find this essential reading. NAFTA and WTO interact in ways that can make or break a company's strategy. Business strategists must consider the impact of today's rules and how future developments will affect them. However, as Condon makes clear, this book is about more than just business. The globalization of law and business affects the lives of everyone. Scholars, researchers, students, and international business professionals will find the book of value, as will those involved with financial services, international law, and international relations.

The unprecedented global economic growth of recent decades is closely tied to the trading relations that have developed in the postwar period. The authors of "The Protectionist Threat to Corporate America" explore the potential impact of protectionism on these relationships, arguing that trade barriers pose a danger not only to U.S. economic growth but to world trade as a whole. Gearing their discussion to the needs of the business community, they offer a clear, systematic explanation of the underlying principles that govern international trade, the consequences of protectionism, and practical strategies for developing effective competition.

The first four chapters examine the nature of trade, the power relations that influence it, and the dilemma created by trade deficits, monetary instability, and declining competitiveness. In the next section, Nevaer and Deck outline a four-point program designed to reverse the slippage in productivity and competitiveness that has eroded America's economic position in the world community. They present guidelines for creating a competitive advantage, maximizing strengths, utilizing a more dynamic management style, and harnessing the benefits of economies of scale and scope. In case studies of industries in the service sector and the high-tech field, Nevaer and Deck show how a competitive edge can be achieved by identifying opportunities and developing sound strategies for exploiting them. An important working tool for corporate managers, this book will enable business people to see beyond current political rhetoric and make realistic decisions on some of the most fundamental issues affecting the nation's economy.

This study provides up-to-date coverage of the most important domestic and external political and economic influences on Japanese trade policy, as well as the evolutionary dynamics of that policy in the post-war period.

Based on information derived from interviews with the employees of over 30 companies in the People's Republic of China, this is the first book-length study to analyze China's turn to the outside world since 1976. The author presents both a detailed historical perspective and an interpretive explanation of China's opening, making this a unique contribution to the literature of contemporary China. By combining a traditional interest group analytical approach with a new hypothesis of 'empowering' grassroots change, Woetzel offers political scientists, businessmen with an interest in China trade, and economists a new, more complete understanding of the current business, political and economic climate in the People's Republic of China and the opportunities it presents for the West.

Divided into three parts, the book begins with a detailed overview of the Opening as a political and economic strategy. Here Woetzel demonstrates that the Opening began as a scheme devised by the reform leadership in an effort to attack China's feudal economy. In the second section, Woetzel addresses the actual impact of this radical change in government policy. Following a discussion of domestic developments and the policy's impact on China's trading partners, Woetzel offers an invaluable examination of ventures in China -- a particular important chapter for those considering doing business there. In the final section Woetzel demonstrates that the long-term impact of the Opening has been to give new abilities to the individual Chinese, thus presenting the leadership with a major policy dilemma: they can either create new conditions which foster the expansion of individual abilities or face a potential revolution of rising expectations.

The rivalry for trade in tea and textiles between the English and Dutch East India companies is very much a global history. This trade is strongly connected to emblematic events such as the opening of Western trade with China, the Boston Tea Party, the establishment of British Empire in Bengal and the Industrial Revolution.

While considerable progress has been made in analyzing the formulation of international economic policies, the existing literature remains deficient in several respects. First, the existing models take a relatively simplistic view of the political-economy environment. For example, in contrast to the observed reality, a large majority of the models view the government as a monolithic entity. Second, there is only limited recognition of the political-economy interactions between interest groups across national borders. Third, dynamic factors governing trade policy formulation have been essentially absent in the literature. Fourth, the empirical work in this area, both cross-industry within national boundaries and cross-national, is very much in infancy and in need of further development. Fifth, other aspects of international economic policy such as foreign aid and foreign direct investment have been scarcely addressed in the existing literature. In this volume, edited by Devashish Mitra and Arvind Panagariya, a group of distinguished scholars in international trade, especially from the younger generation, analyzes several of these important but neglected aspects of the political economy of international economic policy. The volume contains 12 essays topped by an introduction by the editors. The contributors to this volume are Alok Bohara, Carl Davidson, David Feldman, Kishore Gawande, Amy Glass, Omer Gokcekus, Keith Hall, William Kaempfer, Justin Knowles, Pravin Krishna, Phil Levy, Chris Magee, Steve Matusz, Wolfgang Mayer, John McLaren, Devashish Mitra, Alex Mourmouras, Doug Nelson, Arvind Panagariya, Martin Richardson, Martin Ross, Kamal Saggi and Ed Tower. The volume makes major advances in the area of political economy of trade, aid and investment policy, and therefore will be of considerable interest to academic researchers and students of international economics. Because of its obvious focus on the process of policy formulation, economists as think tanks, international institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, and trade-policy analysts in developed and developing countries will also read it.

International trade plays an enormous role in economic growth and prosperity. This activity can also be used to transfer military equipment, knowledge, and technology to hostile governments and transnational terrorist and criminal organizations seeking to attack and destroy their enemies. The U.S. and other countries have used economic sanctions such as export controls to try to restrict and eliminate the transfer of weapons and financial assets to these governments and organizations. This work examines how the U.S. has attempted to restrict the export of national security sensitive equipment, finance, knowledge, and technology since World War II with varying degrees of success and failure. It also examines how multiple U.S. Government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and international government organizations seek to influence U.S. international trade, foreign, and security policies while concluding that some export controls are essential for promoting and defending U.S. national security interests.

This book examines the economic, political and institutional dimensions of pan-Asian integration. With little progress made in the Doha Round, there is heightened interest in deeper regional integration in Asia. The book explores regional patterns of trade and investment and the potential for deeper integration.

To what extent do domestic politics affect the agreement reached in an international trade negotiation? In order to address this question, Christopher C. Meyerson develops an approach to analyzing the relationship between domestic politics and international relations in trade policymaking. This approach is used to analyze both American and Japanese trade policymaking and US-Japan trade negotiations, especially during the GATT Uruguay Round agricultural negotiations between 1986 and 1994.

This volume addresses important issues in economic theory and international trade with contributions from internationally renowned researchers - including some of Murray C. Kemp's many colleagues and former students.Economic Theory and International Trade begins with an examination of classical trade theory and welfare economics. It goes on to discuss international trade policy, including international trading agreements, taxation, tariffs and quotas. Attention then turns to the role of market structure in joint ventures, innovation, tariff policy and political economy. The final section is devoted to economic dynamics and international economics, with an emphasis on learning mechanisms, sustainable growth and immigration. This book will be indispensable to academics and graduate students in the area of international trade. Economic theorists and international trade specialists such as research units and researchers in government will also find this book of great interest.

The Governance of World Trade focuses on the roles, influence and impacts of the so-called 'GATT operatives' or WTO practitioners. It is widely assumed that they have little influence on decisions and policies made, but, according to the authors, the GATT/WTO Secretariat has played an active role in promoting multilateral cooperation.This unique study of the internal operation of the GATT/WTO argues that the invisible yet indispensable international civil servants are the permanent machinery within the institution. They have, the authors ascertain, an important coordinating function and act according to a specific scale of values that transcend those of individual states, providing the continuity and the cement, the credibility and the connection among self-interest-driven states. The book concludes that as one of the most 'democratic' international organizations, operating on the principle of consensus, the WTO needs a creative Secretariat as a necessary condition for multilateral cooperation to work. Using case studies to analyse the workings of Secretariat officials in trade negotiations, and the influence and role of international civil servants, this book will be a fascinating read for a wide ranging audience including: political scientists and economists, international civil servants, think tanks, NGOs, and government agencies.

There are many challenges facing the economies of developing countries. Capital volatility, financial crises, aid, debt and the IMF are all issues that have received a great deal of attention over recent years. In International Finance and the Developing Economies, Graham Bird provides an essentially non-technical discussion of these issues, examining the underlying political economy and discussing the policy alternatives that are available.

Trading across borders, export intermediaries are specialized service firms that connect domestic manufacturers with overseas buyers. How do they do it? What determines their success or failure? Have they really lowered transaction costs for their clients, minimized agency costs, and possessed competitive resources and capabilities in world trade? Surprisingly, no study until now has answered these questions or has explored the underlying issues as thoroughly as Peng does here.

Peng develops an integrated model of export intermediary performance. He focuses on the nature of export transactions and manufacturer-intermediary relationships which may lead to agency problems, and underlines the importance of valuable, unique, and hard-to-imitate resources and capabilities for intermediaries' competitive advantages. Peng employs a distinct analytical approach that highlights three underlying themes--transactions, agents, and resources--then tests his model with six critical case studies and a 1,000-firm mail survey. Operators of export intermediaries seeking ways to improve their performance, aspiring entrepreneurs studying the export business for niche opportunities, manufacturing executives seeking top quality service from export intermediaries, and government officials in charge of export promotion and pertinent legislation--all will find Peng's book a useful examination of issues critical to their work.

This book studies the main causes, consequences and nature of the Asia-Pacific's new free trade agreement (FTA) trend, and its implications for the global economy. It explores the FTA policies of the region's trade powers and offers conceptual and theoretical perspectives on the relationship between economic bilateralism and regionalism.

This book offers guidelines for the upcoming discussions on reform, representing an attempt to work out conceptions for a better international competition order on the basis of the scientific approach 'law and economics'. It presents the dominant concepts of competition policy as a basis for an international competition order and formulates a synthesis. The result is a new neo-ordoliberal approach. Anti-dumping-measures are analysed of the effects on international competition and resource allocation, and alternatives and improvements are suggested. From national forms of competition policy a synthesis of international competition policies are derived. Currently reforms of the international competition order are heavily discussed and here a selection of the most important suggestions are presented, compared, and evaluated. Finally, this book offers strategies that might serve as second-best solutions, and though they may not be optimal for competition policy, they are politically feasible and an improvement on the current competition regulations. They would be a back-up in case the WTO competition regulations aren't realizable.

Middlemen in international markets are one of the most critical components of firms' international marketing strategy. They constitute the main link between the exporter and the local market, and are thereby the "extended arm" of the exporter organisation. This volume of AIM analyses different aspects of relations between exporters and their middlemen: selection and governance, information exchange and learning, cultural aspects and finally the dynamics of such relations. The volume should be seen as a continuation of a stream of literature that has emerged over the last five to ten years.

This volume is more concerned with the phenomena under study than with casting light on one particular theoretical perspective. The contributions represented here are therefore drawing on a number of different theoretical streams: agency theory, transaction cost economics, network theory, economic sociology, resource base theory and its applied "offspring," Internationalisation Process school of thought. It features researchers from universities in nine different countries, representing both well-established and young academicians. This is a manifest indication of the importance of this field of research.

The book is an invaluable asset to students both at the graduate and doctoral levels, and should be a must for researchers in this particular field. Also practitioners will find this book stimulating in their quest for improvements to their relations with their foreign middlemen.

Using figures from European Union members, the volume highlights the conditional effects of globalization, asset specificity, and domestic institutions. Far from being impotent, democratic states face politically powerful pressures to continue to shield social actors from the vagaries of the global market.

Mutual Recognition (MR) implies that each Member State is free to use the standards for production it prefers but cannot inhibit the import from other Member States lawfully using other standards, unless justified by emergency reasons. The home country rule then prevails on the host country. Barriers to entry diminish, competition rises in the internal market. This collection looks at a number of aspects of MR, including why its importance cannot be understood outside the general practice of free movement and how some elements of MR already emerge in the skilled labour market of professionals.

Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy presents an unprecedented comparison of three successive major reforms of the CAP. It shows the influence of related issues such as international trade negotiations and budget constraints and demonstrates that factors such as opening of the policy network and feedback were key to accelerating change.

Yoshimatsu explores the causes and implications of the diverse degree of institution-building in East Asia by examining two processes of initiating and developing multilateral institutions in five policy areas: trade, finance, food security, energy security, and the environment.

From direct foreign investment to the flow of capital, there are endless factors that affect the economies of the world's poorest countries. Knowledge of the struggles of these countries--also known as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs)--is essential to understanding the impact of globalization. This work provides a platform for grasping why developed countries are reaping the benefits of globalization while the LDCs are being left behind. Topical chapters seek to uncover the processes that LDCs should take to reverse their marginalization and build their economies so that they can receive the benefits of globalization. Subjects include: *The relationship between the World Trade Organization, World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund *Multilateral trade regimes *Tariff and non-tariff barriers in developed countries *Global Commodity Prices *Trends in Poverty and Human Development *Technology

Developments of International Trade Theory offers the life-long reflections of a distinguished Japanese scholar who pioneered the application of general equilibrium theory to international trade. Written in a style that makes it easily accessible to scholars and students, the book combines standard topics on international trade with a discussion of the evolution of the theory and some recent discussions on topics like immiserizing growth. This book is presented in two parts. Part I examines the historical progression of international trade theory. Part II addresses the modern theory and recent developments of international trade. This book offers a comprehensive evaluation of the non-monetary problems of international economics.