How does a globally uncompetitive industry compete successfully in specific markets? What shapes the decisions of importers in these markets to purchase inputs from a more costly supplier? Current theories highlight the role of the market or firm strategy as possible explanations. It’s Not Just the Economy, Stupid! Trade Competitiveness in the 21st Century relies on 12 years of research of the US textile industry and the apparel industry throughout the Latin American and Caribbean regions to provide an alternative answer to these questions. The book argues that market factors and business strategies alone do not determine industry competitiveness and firm import behavior. Rather, special international trade programs and regulated trade agreements, which are commonly described as free trade agreements, make it possible for an industry that is less competitive in the global market to become highly competitive in specific markets. Furthermore, these same international trade programs and agreements create incentives for importers to purchase inputs from specific markets, including those with higher costs. For example, the US textile industry is less cost competitive than the same industry in a number of other countries, such as China. Although less expensive textile suppliers exist, some Latin American and Caribbean countries continue to import a majority of their textiles from the United States for use in their garment exports. The book shows that this particular trend results from special trade programs and regulated trade agreements. The findings presented here complement existing scholarship on international trade by focusing on the behavior of importers rather than exporters. Furthermore, whereas current studies explain how industries compete in the global market, the book shifts the emphasis toward industry competitiveness in specific markets.

This text provides an alternative to conventional economics, drawing on the neoclassical and non-neoclassical insights of Lester Thurow, Robert Heilbroner, Alice Amsden, Barry Bluestone and 11 other prominent economists from America and England. It is intended to provide productive analyses of several contemporary economic problems.

No approach to world affairs in the 21st century can afford to ignore the impact that processes of globalisation are having on governments, economies, cultures, and individuals. An understanding of the theories that underpin International Political Economy, and their practical applications, is therefore crucial to the study of international relations, politics, development and economics. In this comprehensive and accessible introduction to the field, the authors consider traditional and alternative approaches to IPE, elucidating key concepts, assumptions and the intellectual and historical context in which they arose and developed – making clear at all times their relevance to issues from trade finance and government, to environment, technology, development and culture. The style of this book encourages independent reflection and critical thinking. Each chapter relates theoretical analysis to contemporary issues, by way of giving the student a better understanding of the theory, and also demonstrating the value of theory in the real world.

The World Today Series: USA and The World describes not only what happened, but puts events in the context of the past and criticizes policy actions as appropriate. The result goes deeper than most of what appears in current publications. Updated annually and part of the renowned “World Today Series,” USA and the World presents an unusually penetrating look into America and its relationship to the rest of the world. The combination of factual accuracy and up-to-date detail along with its informed projections make this an outstanding resource for researchers, practitioners in international development, media professionals, government officials, potential investors and students. Now in its 17th edition, the content is thorough yet perfect for a one-semester introductory course or general library reference.

The implications of globalization for labour are more often asserted than analyzed. This collection, and its companion volume Globalization and Patterns of Labour Resistance edited by Jeremy Waddington, seek to remedy this deficiency by presenting contemporary research on the relationship between the globalization of production and the regulation of labour. It considers the ways in which national and supra-national regimes of labour regulation are being actively reconstructed in the context of the internationalization of production. The contributors analyze the implications of changes in different national labour regimes for relations between state, capital and labour, and for class and gender segmentation, and discuss the scope and limits of recent initiatives in the implementation of international labour standards.