Trading Blocs:

States, Firms, and Regions in the World Economy


 

 

 

 

Cover Image for Trading Blocs

 

About the book:


Global commerce is rapidly coalescing around regional trading blocs in North America, Western Europe, Pacific Asia, and elsewhere, with enormous consequences for the world trading system. Trading Blocs examines how domestic politics have driven the emergence of these trading blocs. Kerry A. Chase argues that certain businesses lobby for trading blocs in order to gain economies of scale or move stages of production abroad. His case studies of domestic trade politics illustrate why recent regional trading arrangements have consistently promoted trade liberalization rather than protectionist backlash.

 Trading Blocs builds on a growing body of research into political economy and domestic politics, challenging the tendency to explain international trade relations in terms of alliances, power politics, and intergovernmental bargaining. Rich in empirical detail and statistical analysis, this book is perfect for scholars and students in the fields of political science, economics, and business.

"Chase has written a superb book that provides us with an innovative and compelling explanation for the development of trading blocs."

Vinod Aggarwal, Director, Berkeley APEC Study Center, University of California, Berkeley.


 "Chase has positioned his theory as a dynamic one that cleverly integrates increasing returns to scale with the more recent development of production-sharing networks."

Alan M. Rugman, L. L. Waters Chair in International Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, in Perspectives on Politics 4:4 (December 2006).


"Trading Blocs is an excellent addition to the growing literature on regionalism, which combines an innovative argument with a rigorous and comprehensive empirical analysis."

Andreas Dur, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin, in Journal of Common Market Studies 44:5 (December 2006).

 

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