Trade Blocs?

Regionalism has gained a new prominence with the creation of the NAFTA and APEC and the enlargement and deepening of the EC. Divergent views fuel the debate over whether regional integration is beneficial and whether it advances or slows global integration through GATT. Trade Blocs? sets forth the latest thinking about regionalism. Alasdair Smith summarizes strategic trade theory applicable to regional integration, focusing on imperfect competition and growth. Jim Rollo addresses enlargement in relation to the newly liberalizing economies of Eastern Europe. Masami Yoshida, Ichiro Akimune, Masayuki Mohara and Kimitoshi Sato trace Asian regionalism, which works despite the absence of formal intergovernmental structures. Regional integration is now concerned with much more than trade. Stephen Thomsen looks at evolving corporate structures and investment. Benn Steil illustrates the dilemmas of harmonization in the financial services sector. David Currie and John Whitley discuss the benefits of closer European economic union, in particular, greater policy convergence. Finally, David Henderson puts the whole 'trade blocs' debate into a wider policy perspective.