Recommending Books for Purchase (Bulletin 99 - Aug 2020): International Trade

Two powerful forces measure their strength by acting upon globalization. One of them pushes globalization forward, while the other hinders its advance and promotes its decline.In which of those directions should Latin America move? Uncertainty hinders the region's strategic vision. If the future entails re-launching of globalization, it seems obvious that Latin America should follow along its lines. However, if globalization were to embark on a declining phase and an endangered future, the region would need to look at other options. Latin America, therefore, faces not only a dramatic uncertainty as a result of forces beyond its control, but also needs to anticipate unforeseen events to the best of its abilities, and react to or act upon them. Strategic reflection becomes imperative to manage both uncertainty and the possibility of rapid change.This exercise in strategic reflection implies an immersion in fraught international surroundings, analyzing the forces that push for and against globalization, trying to measure their respective strength, convergence capacity, and potential impact. At the same time, it requires looking into the flaws, weaknesses and contradictions of such forces. With these elements in hand, it will be easier to envisage where the trends are leading to, and by extension, where Latin America may end up standing and which goals it should follow.

eBook Price : $78

This timely book provides a comprehensive historical overview of the issues and challenges of contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa. An interdisciplinary perspective is driven by an emphasis on development issues and the four pillars of sustainability: social, cultural, economic and environmental. An audit approach is used to evaluate the experiences of Sub-Saharan Africa since the mercantile and colonial eras through the era of independence and development, the structural adjustment decades and the contemporary resource boom. Stimulated by an abundance of reports in the media criticizing China's presence in Sub-Saharan Africa, a comparison is made between China's 50 years of involvement in the region and the 500 years of Western colonialism.Globalization and Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa is an important reference for academics, researchers and students. It is also written in an accessible style that is suitable for the general reader.

eBook Price : $118

For a couple of years, more and more micro-econometric studies in international trade use data on exports and imports on goods that are based on transaction level data collected by the customs. These data cover detailed information on the goods traded, its value, its weight, and the country of destination (for exports) or origin (for imports). In contrast to data from surveys of firms that were used in empirical studies in the past, these data do not only focus on 'who trades and how much', but also on 'who trades how much of which goods of which value and which weight with firms from which countries'. These transaction data have been used in empirical studies that shed light on various aspects of trade in goods for the first time. This book contains a comprehensive survey of the international literature and selected studies that report results for Germany, the third largest exporter and importer of goods in the world market.

eBook Price : $138