Despite abundant scepticism about their economic benefits, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have proliferated at a rapid pace. Policy diffusion models explain how different sets of preferential trade agreements are interconnected and establish under what conditions FTAs can work for or against the emergence of coherent regional blocs.
M. Solís
ASEAN competition East Asia realism trade policy
'The dominant recent development in global trade policy has been the explosive growth of bilateral and regional free trade areas. This excellent volume brings together academic talent from around the Pacific Rim to explore complex and varied issues involved in the evolving policies of individual countries and how they fit together. Bravo for a job well done!' - Edward Lincoln, Director, Centre for Japan-US Business and Economic Studies, New York University, USA
'Why have free trade agreements proliferated at an unprecedented rate since the World Trade Organization was established? Solis, Stallings and Katada and their contributors seek to answer this important question in this theoretically sophisticated volume. A must read for anyone interested in the current evolution of the global trade system.' - John Ravenhill, Australian National University, Australia
'In this persuasive book the authors make a major contribution to the understanding of our global political economy. Skillfully combining sustained theoretical ideas and empirical analyses, the work underlines the strategic interaction explaining the race to free trade agreements. A collection of persuasive research that breaks away from conventional thinking.' - Diana Tussie, FLACSO, Argentina