Together with efforts to control the arms race, commercial issues were a central feature of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s. There was a clear recognition that trade and economic issues were of key importance to political relations. This book, first published in 1987, is a comprehensive analysis of the views and perceptions held by Soviet Area Executives of US ‘trade actor’ companies in the critical years 1975-76. It focuses on the key issues of overall US-Soviet relations which formed the environment for commercial relations between the superpowers.

'In International Trade and Political Institutions, four leading young scholars of comparative and international political economy come together to analyse aspects of trade policy from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Combining theoretical sophistication with empirical depth, they provide cogent arguments about the interaction of interests, institutions, and ideas in a period of crucial importance to those who would like to understand the sources and implications of global economic integration. This exciting volume will be of great interest for scholars concerned with international trade, political economy, and the history of the nineteenth-century world economy.' - Jeffry A. Frieden, Harvard University, US 'This fascinating volume should be read by political scientists, economists, and historians interested in the political formation of trade policy. The papers consider a rich set of historical examples and never fail to be provocative and interesting.' - Douglas Irwin, Dartmouth College, US It is a widely held view that politics plays an important role in determining international trade policy. Defining precisely why, and how, politics matters is more difficult. Despite the benefits of trade, few nations have wholeheartedly adopted free trade policies, and when they do so it is by managing trade through international institutions and multi- or bilateral trade treaties. International Trade and Political Institutions broadens the public choice theory of trade politics to allow for the study of ideas and institutions within a longer time horizon. The authors use theoretically rigorous historical analysis of international political economy and four important case studies to help untangle the role of ideology, institutions and interests. This illuminating book connects the fields of economics, political economy and history to shed new light on trade theory.

This book unveils a potent new approach to one of the oldest debates in political economy--that over whether class conflict or group competition is more prevalent in politics. It goes further than any study to date by outlining the conditions under which one type of political conflict is more likely than the other. Michael Hiscox focuses on a critical issue affecting support for and opposition to free trade--factor mobility, or the ability of those who own a factor of production (land, labor, or capital) to move it from one industry to another. He argues that the types of political coalitions that form in trade politics depend largely on the extent to which factors are mobile between industries. Class coalitions are more likely where factor mobility is high, Hiscox demonstrates, whereas narrow, industry-based coalitions predominate where it is low. The book also breaks new ground by backing up the theory it advances with systematic evidence from the history of trade politics in six nations over the last two centuries, using a combination of case studies and quantitative analysis. It makes fresh conclusions about the forces shaping trade policy outcomes--conclusions that yield surprising insights into the likely evolution of the global trading system and U.S. trade policy in particular. International Trade and Political Conflict is a major contribution to the scholarly literature while being accessible to anyone interested in understanding and predicting developments in trade policy.

This volume includes many of Edward D Mansfield's contributions to research on the political economy of trade. Among the topics addressed are the effects of power relations and international economic institutions on trade flows, the influence of domestic politics on trade policy, the factors that shape the mass public's attitudes toward trade, and the determinants of the formation and expansion of international trade agreements. The Political Economy of International Trade is an essential reference for scholars and graduate students interested in the international political economy. Contents:Systemic Approaches to the International Trading System:The Concentration of Capabilities and International TradePower Politics and International TradeAlliances, Preferential Trading Arrangements, and International TradeInternational Institutions and the Volatility of International TradeThe Political Economy of Trade Policy and Trade Attitudes:The Political Economy of Nontariff Barriers: A Cross-National AnalysisFree to Trade: Democracies, Autocracies, and International TradeVotes and Vetoes: The Political Determinants of Commercial OpennessSupport for Free Trade: Self-Interest, Sociotropic Politics, and Out-Group AnxietyThe Political Economy of Preferential Trading Agreements:The Proliferation of Preferential Trading ArrangementsWhy Democracies Cooperate More: Electoral Control and International Trade AgreementsVetoing Co-operation: The Impact of Veto Players on Preferential Trading ArrangementsMultilateral Determinants of Regionalism: The Effects of GATT/WTO on the Formation of Preferential Trading ArrangementsThe Expansion of Preferential Trading Arrangements Readership: Postgraduates, researchers, academics, and policymakers interested in international political economics. Key Features:Covers a much broader range of topics than other competing titlesAddresses the international influences on trade flows, the domestic influences on both trade flows and trade policy, and how individuals in the United States perceive trade, and also addresses the international and domestic influences on trade agreements between countries The author and his co-authors are among the most prominent scholars of international political economy Keywords:Political Economy;International Trade;Globalization

This book provides a comprehensive review of the theory of international trade and trade policy, including coverage of recent areas of research such as heterogeneous firm trade models and trade costs. It then proceeds to analyze the history of trade policies and the evolution of the global trading system, with a primary focus on important policies or controversial issues such as the Doha Round, antidumping duties, regionalism and fair trade. It aims to emphasize the significance of different theories and how they are interconnected. Unlike other technique-driven international economics textbooks, this book focuses on readers understanding how theory and policy are connected. Written in a lecture note format and in a straightforward manner, the presentation is self-contained with no assumed mathematical knowledge.

Specifically, it explores the robustness of the Heckscher - Ohlin framework and its two core propositions - the Stolper - Samuelson and Rybczynski theorems - by relaxing its underlying assumptions in four ways: limiting the inter-industry mobility of factors of production in the short run; allowing for industry economies of scale; introducing uncertainty of commodity prices; and endogenizing a country's supply of labor. Part II addresses issues related to first-best trade policies which had gained prominence during the period of multilateral trade liberalization under the auspices of the GATT, such as: the scope and limits of negotiated tariff agreements; first-best policy justifications for import restrictions and export promotions; and the use of import-quality standards as a substitute for tariffs. Part III explores the political economy of trade policy formation.