Beyond Foreign Economic Policy

Drawing on their experience as government insiders, the authors of this book show how economic policy is shaped at the highest levels of government. They reveal the interconnections between economic, social and international policy, covering such issues as the advocacy system.

Vernon, the acknowledged authority in international economics, analyzes the past, present and dangerous future of American trade politics and policymaking. He recommends giving up on comprehensive global agreements, and urges narrow agreements between a small number of countries.

Investigates the ways in which the US responded to the European Community's Single Market Program, launched in the 1980s, arguing that foreign economic policy is the product of interests and actions expressed by a wide range of groups and at many different levels. Analyzes changes faced by the US in the world political economy of the 1990s, and details the process by which Congress, state governments, and US executives and firms responded to the Single Market Program, looking especially at issues of public procurement, and standards, testing, and certification. Distributed by Books International. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In this sobering analysis of American foreign policy under Trump, the award-winning economist calls for a new approach to international engagement. The American Century began in 1941 and ended in 2017, on the day of President Trump’s inauguration. The subsequent turn toward nationalism and “America first” unilateralism did not made America great. It announced the abdication of our responsibilities in the face of environmental crises, political upheaval, mass migration, and other global challenges. As a result, America no longer dominates geopolitics or the world economy as it once did. In this incisive and passionate book, Jeffrey D. Sachs provides the blueprint for a new foreign policy that embraces global cooperation, international law, and aspirations for worldwide prosperity. He argues that America’s approach to the world must shift from military might and wars of choice to a commitment to shared objectives of sustainable development. A New Foreign Policy explores both the danger of the “America first” mindset and the possibilities for a new way forward, proposing timely and achievable plans to foster global economic growth, reconfigure the United Nations for the twenty-first century, and build a multipolar world that is prosperous, peaceful, fair, and resilient.

Latin American income distribution is among the most unequal in the world. Both the poor and the wealthy have paid a price for this inequality, which is in part responsible for the region's low growth rates. The essays in this book propose new ways of reducing inequality, not by growth-inhibiting transfers and regulations, but by enhancing efficiency—eliminating consumption subsidies for the wealthy, increasing the productivity of the poor, and shifting to a more labor and skill-demanding growth path. In Beyond Tradeoffs, Latin American experts demonstrate how market-friendly measures in key policy areas can simultaneously promote greater equity and greater efficiency. By identifying win-win strategies, the authors challenge the conventional wisdom that there is always a tradeoff between these two objectives. Extensive macroeconomic reforms in the region have provided opportunities to implement such strategies across many sectors. The volume aims at building a "Latin consensus" on a second round of reforms—reforms that address the urgent issue of inequality without undermining efficient growth. Contributors include Jonathan Coles, Rene Cortazar, Ricardo Hausmann, Juan Luis Londoño, Nora Lustig, Moises Naím, and Joseph Stiglitz. Copublished with the Inter-American Development Bank

The authors review the history of the international financial system; describe the rapid growth in the 1980s of the U.S. and Third World deficits and debts; emphasize the rising relative importance of Europe, Japan and other East Asian nations; suggest a crescendo of mounting problems in these matters; and summarize some solutions. ISBN 0-669-17109-3: $40.00.

A comprehensive examination of America's relationship with China. Both addressing and looking beyond the annual debate on most-favored-nation trading status (MFN), the authors examine the complex economic, strategic, and philosophical issues confronting US policymakers in this critical relationship. The volume also explores the views of the Chinese people themselves, the changing human rights policies of the Chinese government, the political implications of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, and the internal deliberations within the Clinton administration on China policy. Paper edition (unseen), $12.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR