The tropics is an area of enormous opportunity and potential. The countries situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are largely developing in nature. There is huge interest in the types of business investments made in Southeast Asia, Central Africa, and the Amazonian tropical belts. These tropical regions continue to face opportunities and challenges in attracting foreign direct investments as well as the need to complement and/or compete with larger economies external to the tropics. This book provides an empirical assessment of the key sociocultural, economic, environmental, and political factors that influence the business dynamics of organizations operating within the tropics. It will address but is not limited to topics such as attracting businesses to the tropics, facilitating smooth, stable conditions for business operations and sustainability, national institutions, and regulations that shape the way business is done, and the increasing deployment of new technologies and entrepreneurial innovations which are defining the global tropics as a distinct business region. It will offer readers a key focus for developing a deeper understanding of the factors and frameworks that influence and shape business activity in the area. While the primary audience for the book consists of academics and students from the fields of economics (environmental economics, developmental economics), business, international trade, tourism, and area studies, it will also provide a practical resource for government policy analysts wanting to fully appreciate some of the key economic and business issues facing the region.

Intra-Industry Trade calls for us to rethink what trade most often looks like and how it shapes global institutions, fostering peace among states. Cameron G. Thies and Timothy M. Peterson argue that our understanding of trade has not kept pace with its changing nature in the 21st century; existing models, rooted in Ricardo's theories, regard trade uniformly as taking place between entities and countries that offer different commodities and operate according to the logic of comparative advantage. Though this type of exchange does take place, intra-industry trade—international trade of the same or similar commodities, in which foreign and domestic brands compete—is increasingly prevalent. The authors argue that our current academic and policymaking focus on the total volume of trade, rather than its composition, is misplaced. Trade composition matters, not just because it gives us a fuller understanding of how trade works, but also because intra-industry trade increases the likelihood of positive institutional relations and cooperation between states. To illustrate their point, the authors examine the effects that intra-industry trade has on Preferential Trade Agreement formation, its tendency to lessen World Trade Organization disputes and militarized conflict, and its ability to pave the way for new and fortified alliances.

Highlights what national governments should know to properly conduct their industrial policies under the multilateral trading system.

This authoritative new collection presents a selection of previously published seminal articles that have led to the development of intra-industry trade theory and empirical research. Parts I and II cover the pioneering research in the 1960s and a number of models of intra-industry trade that were developed from 1979 to the present day. Parts III and IV look at the empirical research problems in the choice of measure of intra-industry trade and empirical studies that seek to identify the nature of this trade. Part V deals with the role of the multinational corporation and part VI completes the collection with articles that look at extensions to asset markets and applications to other problems such as the geography of trade and rules of origin. Intra-Industry Trade will be an invaluable source of reference to all international trade economists and libraries specialising in this area.

This book revisits the perennial challenge that scholars, economists, and politicians have been grappling with since the 1960s. Development, in this book, has been defined in a context that projects it as a multidimensional and complex process which seeks to enhance the human, social, economic and cultural welfare of the people. This book calls for a rethinking of trade and industry for Africa's development. It uses data drawn from national development plans and strategies, and trade and industry issues have been prioritized at the continental level, in key policy documents. On the whole Africa's industry and trade performance have been poor in spite of national, regional, and continental plans. The contributors to this volume propose some alternative strategies and policies which are necessary for trade and industry to grow and to contribute to the well-being of Africa's people. It calls for a developmental trade and industry policy which, fundamentally, must be people-centred. African states should invest time, energy and resources to develop policies which will take into consideration African realities.The different contributors are aware that Africa has experienced strong economic growth in the recent past but this growth has largely been due to a strong demand for Africa's primary commodity exports. It has also been a result of increases in productivity and domestic investment and remittances from Africans living in the Diaspora. It is important to note that despite this unprecedented growth performance, the impact of trade and industry on development has been limited. The book argues that a structural transformation of Africa's economies is inevitable if Africa is to achieve the shift from the dominant paradigm of production and export of primary goods. The various contributors to this book agree that there is need to rethink policy and strategy in order to achieve industrial development in Africa. There is no unique solution or answer that can fit all situations as African countries are not the same. While Africa can draw lessons from other regions which have successfully industrialized, this book argues that policies and strategies will have to be adapted to country-specific situations and circumstances.