Economic Integration and International Trade (The International Library of Critical Writings in Economics series, 115)

Trade liberalization has had a major impact on the world economy. As nations continue to engage in preferential trade and with the launching of the first World Trade Organization multilateral round, the need to understand the consequences of trade liberalization has never been greater.Economic Integration and International Trade is a collection of the most important articles on international economic integration. The volume brings an innovative approach to the literature by using a methodology from the theory of tariffs and reform, rather than the conventional trade diversion and creation taxonomy, to select, organize, and unify contributions from almost fifty years of research. Topics include: the welfare consequences from integration, customs unions versus free trade areas, using international income transfers to facilitate trade liberalization, and the effects of integration on economic growth.Economic Integration and International Trade makes an important literature accessible to policymakers and business strategists, and to students, researchers, and teachers of economics, international business, political science and international relations.