Robert T Kudrle

The consequences of changing comparative advantage are transforming the economic landscapes of nations and regions around the globe. This book deals with the most significant economic factors in the rapidly changing Pacific Basin area. Part 1 considers the area’s changing patterns of industrial development and trade and examines the general implications of such changes for national industrial development policies. Part 2 consists of a set of case studies of national industrial policies in the context of factors affecting industrial structures; how applicable these policies are to other countries in the region is a central theme. Part 3 addresses the specific issues of foreign investment and domestic labor in relation to economic growth and industrial development in the Pacific Basin. Finally, in Part 4 institutional arrangements are suggested that would facilitate economic growth while, at the same time, mitigating the serious negative consequences of changing economic advantage. Such negative consequences are to some extent pervasive and can destabilize social and political development and endanger formal and informal alliances; nevertheless, the segment of humanity that has adequate food, clothing, and shelter is being permanently widened in the Pacific Basin.

The consequences of changing comparative advantage are transforming the economic landscapes of nations and regions around the globe. This book deals with the most significant economic factors in the rapidly changing Pacific Basin area. Part 1 considers the area’s changing patterns of industrial development and trade and examines the general implications of such changes for national industrial development policies. Part 2 consists of a set of case studies of national industrial policies in the context of factors affecting industrial structures; how applicable these policies are to other countries in the region is a central theme. Part 3 addresses the specific issues of foreign investment and domestic labor in relation to economic growth and industrial development in the Pacific Basin. Finally, in Part 4 institutional arrangements are suggested that would facilitate economic growth while, at the same time, mitigating the serious negative consequences of changing economic advantage. Such negative consequences are to some extent pervasive and can destabilize social and political development and endanger formal and informal alliances; nevertheless, the segment of humanity that has adequate food, clothing, and shelter is being permanently widened in the Pacific Basin.

How is it that two broadly similar systems of competition law have reached different results across a number of significant antitrust issues? While the United States and the European Union share a commitment to maintaining competition in the marketplace and employ similar concepts and legal language in making antitrust decisions, differences in social values, political institutions, and legal precedent have inhibited close convergence. With The Atlantic Divide in Antitrust, Daniel J. Gifford and Robert T. Kudrle explore many of the main contested areas of contemporary antitrust, including mergers, price discrimination, predatory pricing, and intellectual property. After identifying how prevailing analyses differ across these areas, they then examine the policy ramifications. Several themes run throughout the book, including differences in the amount of discretion firms have in dealing with purchasers, the weight given to the welfare of various market participants, and whether competition tends to be viewed as an efficiency-generating process or as rivalry. The authors conclude with forecasts and suggestions for how greater compatibility might ultimately be attained.