Abstract
Increasing openness to international trade has been one of the most conspicuous features of the global economy in the second half of the twentieth century. Trade growth has consistently outpaced income growth, and there are no reasons to doubt that this trend will continue in the next millennium. International trade has boomed because it was freed of numerous barriers that had previously obstructed exchanges across country borders. Barriers to trade fell both through advances in technology, most importantly in the transport and telecommunication sectors, and through policy-led liberalization. Policy liberalization occurred at the global level, mainly through successive rounds of GATT negotiations, as well as among numerous regional country groups. As the significance of national boundaries diminishes, economies become more exposed to international competitive pressures to which they must adapt or face economic decline.
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References
Helpman, Elhanan and Krugman, Paul (1985) ‘Market Structure and Foreign Trade’, Cambridge (Mass.), MIT Press.
Krugman, Paul and Venables, Anthony J. (1996) ‘Integration, Specialization and Adjustment’, European Economic Review, vol. 40, pp. 959–967.
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© 1999 Centre of Research in European Development and International Trade (CREDIT)
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Brülhart, M., Hine, R.C. (1999). Overview. In: Brülhart, M., Hine, R.C. (eds) Intra-Industry Trade and Adjustment. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27173-3_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-27173-3_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-27175-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-27173-3
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