Provides a network approach to understanding trade and trade policy from Antiquity to the present. Argues that trade has occurred, is occurring, and will continue to occur within well-defined, stable networks (e.g. empires, multinational firms, free-trade areas). Is able to rationalize the many puzzles that currrently plague international economics. Results can be generalized to all trade activity, ranging from economic to social, to political.

Although international trade has been much studied by both economists and regional scientists, the nature, causes, and the consequences of interregional trade, i.e., trade between regions within countries has received far less attention. In addition, given recent advances in new economic geography on the theoretical front and in the development of both input-output and computable general equilibrium models on the empirical front, the important subject of interregional trade is now open to study using these theoretical and empirical methodologies. Given this state of affairs, this book aims to present chapters written by a carefully selected group of experts in the field and thereby shed valuable light on key outstanding questions concerning the region and trade. These questions include, but are not limited to, the role of external economies in shaping the pattern of interregional trade, the role of natural resources versus traditional factors of production such as labor and capital in driving interregional trade, the relationship between transport and interregional trade, “high value” interregional trade in services, and the role of interregional trade estimation in the construction of a multi-regional, input-output system.

Although international trade has been much studied by both economists and regional scientists, the nature, causes, and the consequences of interregional trade, i.e., trade between regions within countries has received far less attention. In addition, given recent advances in new economic geography on the theoretical front and in the development of both input-output and computable general equilibrium models on the empirical front, the important subject of interregional trade is now open to study using these theoretical and empirical methodologies. Given this state of affairs, this book aims to present chapters written by a carefully selected group of experts in the field and thereby shed valuable light on key outstanding questions concerning the region and trade. These questions include, but are not limited to, the role of external economies in shaping the pattern of interregional trade, the role of natural resources versus traditional factors of production such as labor and capital in driving interregional trade, the relationship between transport and interregional trade, "high value" interregional trade in services, and the role of interregional trade estimation in the construction of a multi-regional, input-output system.

This book analyzes spatial and temporal patterns of international trade from a geographical perspective. Trade is an important key to understanding the changing dynamics of economic spaces over time. However, studies by geographers are largely confined to case studies, whereas the spatial dimension is often missing from the approach of economists. This study highlights spatial patterns and commodity composition of global trade and the nature of relationship between trade and other economic attributes. A case study of the MERCOSUR trade block examines inter-regional and intra-regional trade flows. The book captures a comprehensive picture of the structure of international exchange by using ample maps and illustrations as supporting features. Many different methods are applied such as the location quotient to capture concentration and diversification of commodity composition, data reduction techniques such as factor analysis and regression models for relating the economic structures and trade patterns as well as residual mapping among others. This book is a significant contribution to geographical, economical and social sciences research and very useful to graduate and post-graduate students as well as scientists of all related areas who have interest in exploring the changing dynamics of the global economy via trade flows. It provides a road map to further explore different dimensions of international trade and its role in understanding the transforming global economy.