The Oxford Handbook of International Commercial Policy: (Oxford Handbooks)

As we enter the 2010s, the global economy is becoming increasingly integrated. International trade has been growing rapidly, an ostensibly irresistible trend that was only temporarily disrupted by the 2008-09 global recession. Globalization has become associated with a country's economic success while failure to open up markets is often viewed as a cause of economic stagnation. This is predicted by economic theory and verified by empirical investigations. One reason for the growth of trade is the impressive reduction of trade barriers over the past 60 years; namely the pursuit of liberal commercial policy by many countries, led by the United States. Yet, particularly with the economic malaise that has persisted since the Great Recession, the role of commercial policy has become increasingly controversial in the media and other public fora. The relationship between trade and employment, as well as the implications of trade for income distribution, are examples of profound influences on national economies that have provoked intensive debate in the public realm. These domestic effects go a long way towards explaining the widespread backlash against globalization that we have observed in recent years. This volume of contributions from some of the best-known international trade economists explores and analyzes the various aspects of commercial policy--theoretical, empirical, and institutional--in a way that standard texts in international economics do not. It does this via two sets of chapters: the first part covers general approaches to commercial policy, including theoretical, institutional, historical, and empirical contributions. Topics addressed include a general analysis of free trade compared to its alternatives, the future of the international trading system (including the regional trade agreement zeitgeist), trade's effects on employment, and the "special" case of agriculture. The second part is comprised of country-specific and regional applications, including case studies of key players in the international trading system (United States, the European Union, and Japan); small, open markets (Australia and Israel); large emerging markets (China and India); and a South-South regional grouping (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW: By Modechai E. Kreinin, Michigan State University and Michael G. Plummer, the Johns Hopkins University and OECD PART I: General Approaches to Commercial Policy Chapter 1: Free Trade and Its Alternatives By Sven W. Arndt, Claremont McKenna College Chapter 2: The International Trading System and Its Future By Rachel McCulloch, Brandeis University Chapter 3: Administration of Commercial Policy By Alfred E. Eckes Jr., Ohio University Chapter 4: Trade and the Labor Market: Recent Development and New Frontiers By Carl Davidson, Michigan State University and Nicholas Sly, University of Oregon Chapter 5: Protection of Agriculture By Tim Josling, Stanford University Chapter 6: Theory and Economic Modeling of Regional Trading Agreements By Modechai Kreinin, Michigan State University and Michael Plummer, the Johns Hopkins University and OECD Chapter 7: The Ruled-Based Trading System By Cristiane Carneiro, University of Sao Paulo and Gary Hufbauer, Institute for International Economics PART II: Country (Regional) Studies Chapter 8: U.S. Trade Policy Since 1934: An Uneven Path Toward Greater Trade Liberalization By Robert E. Baldwin, University of Wisconsin Chapter 9: The European Community Commercial Policy By Patrick A. Messerlin, University of Paris Chapter 10: Japan's Commercial Policy By Masahiro Kawai, ADB Institute, and Shujiro Urata, Waseda University, Chapter 11: Commercial Policy and Experience in the Giants: China and India By Ganeshan Wignaraja, Asian Development Bank Chapter 12: Australian Commercial Policies By Peter Lloyd, University of Melbourne Chapter 13: The European Transition Economics By Torbjörn Becker and Anders Fredriksson, Stockholm School of Economics Chapter 14: Trade Liberalization in a Small Open Economy: The Case of Israel By Michael Michaeli, The Hebrew University Chapter 15: ASEAN Commercial Policy By Hal Hill and Jay Menon

About the Author :
Mordchai E. Kreinin is University Distinguished Professor of Economics at Michigan State University and past President of the International Trade and Finance Association. Michael G. Plummer is Head of the Development Division at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Eni Professor of International Economics at Johns Hopkins University, SAIS-Bologna. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Asian Economics and Director, American Committee for Asian Economic Studies (ACAES), and is a non-resident Senior Fellow of the East-West Center.

Review :
"This edited volume contains a comprehensive discussion. . .by many of the key contributors to the trade policy literature. The discussion is largely forward thinking, building on achievements that have persisted and survived the turbulence and much more primitive system of rules that have existed so far in the global financial architecture. An excellent supplementary text for international courses. Highly recommended."--CHOICE