Book Description

A comprehensive and fruitful analysis of the shaping factors of international trade and their implications for trade policy cannot be performed without having a clear idea of the evolution of trade patterns over time. Today, there is a net redistribution of wealth away from the rapid-growth economies. Companies from those rapid-growth markets are now challenging the giants of the Fortune and Forbes lists. We are witnessing a surge of investment from west to east, some of it speculative but much of it the result of by individual businesses decisions. Focusing on west to east misses the important east to east and growing east to west dimension. And centring on flows to India and China misses the far greater increase that is happening within regional blocs closer to home. Although international trade collapsed throughout the financial crisis, it has since bounced back sturdily, led by trade among rising markets. But what remains unclear is whether the key trends of the past ten years can be expected to extend into the coming decade, or whether the global financial crisis has changed the dynamic of the global economy, ensuing in new patterns of international trade. This is a compilation of the leading research contributed by renowned economists and political scientists discussing the links between economic changes and international trade. It identifies and explains important trends in international trade that have emerged over the last years. It also provides some illustrative simulations of possible future trade scenarios. Worldwide trade has recovered strongly following the global financial crisis. But rather than a return to business as usual, we are now seeing new patterns of international trade emerge. Businesses will need to adjust their strategies to imitate the changing patterns of world trade that are developing and are on the edge to intensify over the next decade. This book will be of an excellent tool for students and social scientists interested in international economic affairs.