International Trade and Political Conflict

by Hiscox, Michael J.

• ISBN13: 9780691088556
• ISBN10: 0691088551
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-08-05
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

This book unveils a potent new approach to one of the oldest debates in political economy--that over whether class conflict or group competition is more prevalent in politics. It goes further than any study to date by outlining the conditions under which one type of political conflict is more likely than the other. Michael Hiscox focuses on a critical issue affecting support for and opposition to free trade--factor mobility, or the ability of those who own a factor of production (land, labor, or capital) to move it from one industry to another. He argues that the types of political coalitions that form in trade politics depend largely on the extent to which factors are mobile between industries. Class coalitions are more likely where factor mobility is high, Hiscox demonstrates, whereas narrow, industry-based coalitions predominate where it is low. The book also breaks new ground by backing up the theory it advances with systematic evidence from the history of trade politics in six nations over the last two centuries, using a combination of case studies and quantitative analysis. It makes fresh conclusions about the forces shaping trade policy outcomes--conclusions that yield surprising insights into the likely evolution of the global trading system and U.S. trade policy in particular.International Trade and Political Conflictis a major contribution to the scholarly literature while being accessible to anyone interested in understanding and predicting developments in trade policy.

Author Biography

Michael J. Hiscox is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	ix
Preface and Acknowledgments	xiii
PART I: TRADE THEORY, FACTOR MOBILITY, AND POLITICAL CONFLICT	1	(42)
Trade, Distribution, and Factor Mobility	3	(9)
Historical Patterns in Mobility: Evidence from Six Nations	12	(23)
Coalitions in Trade Politics: Parties, Peak Associations, and Groups	35	(8)
PART II: POLITICAL CONFLICT IN SIX NATIONS OVER TRADE	43	(88)
The United States	45	(26)
Britain	71	(12)
France	83	(13)
Sweden	96	(8)
Canada	104	(10)
Australia	114	(14)
Lessons from the Case Studies	128	(3)
PART III: CONFLICT IN THE U.S. CONGRESS OVER TRADE	131	(28)
Historical Changes in Coalitions	133	(26)
Quantitative Analysis of Voting on Major Trade Legislation--1824 to 1994
PART IV: CONCLUSION	159	(6)
Conclusions, Qualifications, and Implications	161	(4)
APPENDIXES	165	(20)
A Mathematical Appendix to Chapter 1	167	(4)
B Data and Sources for Chapter 2	171	(5)
C Data and Sources for Chapters 11 and 12	176	(9)
Bibliography	185	(16)
Index	201