This paper is a detailed analysis of the literature relating to the United States trade policy with China and its affects on civil liberties within China.
Abstract This work makes a thorough review of the available literature relating to U.S. trade relations and policy with China, as well as the impact that free trade has had upon human civil rights and democracy in the country of China. The paper states that one of the important outcomes of free trade in the country of China has been the reduction of poverty. This in turn, according to the paper, has lead to growing power vested in citizens of the country and less power vested in the ruling party. Furthermore, it asserts that the rapid change in China has been termed to be a 'transformation' in many primary aspects of living demonstrated in the improved economic and financial aspects in China, as well as serving to impact political aspects in the country as well. The paper concludes that the government in China does not appear to be ready to shun the economic benefits of trade liberalization even if that means making room for the effects of democratization that goes along with economic benefits.
Outline:
Introduction
Idealism versus Realism
Free Trade: U.S.and China Trade Relations
Trade Liberalization and Democratization
Creeping Democratization (Minxin, 1995)
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "The work of Ying Ma relates that in spite of what the United States or even the citizens of China may desire, 'the Chinese Government has so far quashed and neutralized pressure for fundamental political change. Beijing controls and stunts precisely those instruments that contribute to the success of broad-cased domestic opposition: It cracks down on political opponents, co-opts potential ones, and indoctrinates the masses. It is eagerly attempting to maximize economic modernization while minimizing its liberalizing effects.' (Ma, 2007) Ying Ma states that there are several 'concrete steps' that might assist promotion of democracy in China. The first of these steps is that 'the United States should not wade into the quandary of slowing Chinese economic growth and cannot stop the Chinese government from institutionalization itself or co-opting its rival political groups,...' however it is possible that the U.S. can do more toward combating 'other sources of authoritarian resilience by strengthening China's political opposition and countering the regime's restriction of coordination goods that range from press freedom to the ability to organize.'"
Abstract This paper tries to understand the business practices and trade cultures of the Aztecs by looking at the environment in which the Aztecs lived, worked and raised their families. The paper briefly discusses the Aztec's ability to maintain their fundamental beliefs and practices relating to internal business affairs and trade despite Spanish colonization, as well as the natural geographical environment of the Mesoamericans and how this helped in creating innovations in farming and agriculture. The paper compares traders and merchants of the Aztec empire to today's merchants and also analyzes how the various economic systems and business practices that the Aztecs practiced, though primitive, allowed the various market sectors and regions to come together to create an extraordinarily dynamic economy.
From the Paper "Like many other Mesoamerican civilizations, the Aztecs relied heavily upon a variety of markets and business merchants to transport goods and commodities from the producer to the consumer. In this instance, the word "markets" does not connote what we today refer to as global and/or national markets, such as a country like Japan producing and marketing automobiles, televisions and audio equipment. Thus, "markets" refers to a physical space, such as a marketplace or agora as found in ancient Greece where buyers and sellers came together to exchange goods and services under the auspices of the reigning king or emperor."
Abstract This paper examines how the major countries such as England and France were affected by and involved in the American Civil War. It discusses how the issue of slavery helped draw the French and English into the conflict. It further discusses the economic ramifications of the war on both Europe and America because of the halting of slave trade and goods trade.
From the Paper "The American Civil War directly affected foreign relations with England and France because neither country could choose between the Union or the Confederacy since they needed both and neither would risk supporting slavery or democracy. Europe during the 1860's was still drowning with monarchies and aristocracy. They feared and rejected rebellion and internal revolutions but their desire to witness the failure of democracy was much greater than any other. Early in to the war it was apparent that though resistance to new political ideas and "legitimate monarchy" were the trends in Europe, their sympathy for the aristocratic Confederacy overlooked all else except a minor issue."
Tags: england, france, confederacy, slavery, abolition, trade
Abstract This paper describes the effect of slavery on West Africa and the African civilization. The paper explores the general effect of slavery on future African civilizations?
Abstract This paper studies the causes of the American Civil War. While most historians maintain that slavery was the main cause of the war, this paper argues that slavery was only responsible to a certain extent and that there were complex political and economic factors which played an important role in the Civil War. The writer discusses the South's waning ability to maintain its army of slaves and asserts that the North's growing industrial power also fueled the conflict. Political factors, including the issue of equal representation in the Congress and states? autonomy, are considered as possible causes of the war in this paper.
From the Paper "Civil war is the most momentous and crucial period in the history of America. Not only did this war bring an end to centuries of slavery in the country but also gave way to numerous social and political changes. The country had already been torn by the negative trend in race relations and numerous cases of slave uprisings were taking their toll on the country's political and social structure. While slavery is cited as the most common cause of the Civil War, it is believed that there were several other factors involved. In other words, though slavery was the major cause it was certainly not the only cause. Civil war and abolition of slavery have become synonymous terms as the former led to the latter. But still some historians maintain that slavery has been turned into a too convenient excuse in connection with the Civil War."
Abstract This paper explains that increased trade between countries does create wealth; however, the rules of the trade game are such that the wealth being generated by increased level of international trade does not reach all sections of the world in a fair manner. The author argues that there is an urgent need for creating a level-playing field for all in international trade so that the benefits reach everyone; organizations such as the WTO and the IMF, which make and oversee trade rules and international monetary policies, must be purged of the pervasive influence of large multi-national corporations and big business. The paper relates that unprecedented development in the communication and information technologies in the last few decades and the eclipse of communism have given a great boost to international trade; international trade leads to prosperity and development but such trade also gives rise to a number of problems such as increasing inequality and rural poverty.
Table of Contents
The Pros and Cons of International Trade Reasons Why Increased International Trade is Beneficial
Growing International Trade Pros: Benefits of Increased International Trade Growth in Countries that Adopted Free-Trade Policies
Example of the United States
Cons: The Disadvantages
Policies Based on Corporate Interests
Removing the Guiding Hand
How International Free Trade Policies Favor Big Corporations
Corporations Exempt from Free Market Discipline
Inequality
Rural Poverty
Trade and Environment
Analysis of the Arguments
What Should Be Done?
Conclusion
From the Paper "The colonialist powers, particularly Britain, had realized the benefits of international trade after its industrial revolution although it is highly debatable whether such trade was beneficial for the colonies as well. In the last two decades, international monetary institutions such as IMF and trade organizations, particularly the Word Trade Organization (WTO) have been at the forefront for promoting free international trade. Unrestricted international trade has been touted as the panacea for all economic ills and an agent of development. The results of international trade have, however, been mixed. While supporters of free trade point to several success stories such as China, others point to the growing inequality, economic shocks such as the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997, and the increasing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa as "fruits" of increased international trade (also known as globalization)."
This paper analyzes the issue of the U.S. trade balance and its significant impact on the exchange rate in America due to the burgeoning trade deficit and declining value of the dollar against other major world currencies.
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between the trade balance and the exchange rate. The writer details the general rule of economics that states a negative trade deficit normally leads to a weaker currency while trade surplus results in enhanced value of currency, although there are exceptions to the rule, which are detailed in this paper. This paper discusses the issue of the U.S. trade balance and its effect on the exchange rate of the country's currency which is currently in the limelight due to the burgeoning U.S. trade deficit and the declining value of the dollar against other major world currencies. The writer of this paper delves into America's economy against that of China's and questions whether the U.S. dollar will retain its status of the reserve currency in the long run. This paper touches on the opinions and views of economists and U.S. treasury officials who contend that the current trade deficit is nothing to be alarmed about as the country's economy and the U.S. dollar survived a similar slide in the late 1980s. This paper also discusses the opinion of the U.S. administration that believes the alleged under-valuation of the Chinese Yen is a prime source for the deficit problems since there is a huge and growing trade imbalance between the U.S. exports and imports to China. The well-researched and well-written paper clearly define the terms: Trade balance, exchange rate and reserve currency.
Table of Contents:
What is Trade Balance?
What is Exchange Rate?
The Extent of Trade Balance Deficit in the U.S.
What is a Reserve Currency?
Can the U.S. Dollar Retain its 'Reserve Currency' Status for Long?
Is the U.S. Trade Deficit Sustainable?
Is China the Source of the Deficit Problem?
Possible Solutions to the Trade Deficit Problem
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "The key question is, can the US dollar retain its status of the resrve currency for long? History suggests that it may not. Before the advent of the dollar as the world's reserve currency, the British Pound had enjoyed such a status. Between the two World Wars and the post-World War II period saw the weakeing of the British economy. As a result, the British Pound was devalued by 30% in 1949, effectively ending its run as the world's reserve currency and the start of the dollar's reign. Dollar has been able to retain its status as the reserve currency since it was relatively stable, was backed up by the formidable economy of the US, low interest rates and the absence of an alternative currency."
Abstract This paper compares the values of free trade to managed trade. It begins by defining trade and identifying the ideal trade. The paper argues that free trade is the best policy to increase prosperity and equality in a capitalist society. It describes managed trade as the current situation, as tariffs and trade policy try to create fair grounds for commerce between two nations, as seen through the example of Japan and the United States. The writer states that protectionist policies, as used in managed trade, have been the anthem of the past and have led to war and conflict.
From the Paper "Trade is the exchange of goods and services between two countries. In order for trade to be successful, both sides must perceive that they benefit from the exchange, or the trade will not take place. In a perfect world, both parties go away from the trade happy that they have ridded themselves of something of which they have surplus, and gained something of value to them. However, in the real world, this does not happen all of the time and one party or the other walks away feeling ?cheated.?
Tags: world, trade, organization, wto, globalization, capitalism, capitalist, policy, global, economy, equality, tariff, japan, usa, united, states
Abstract The paper analyzes the free trade theory and reveals that the free trade is anything but fair trade. The paper also looks at the classical and neoclassical modals of the free trade theory and its problems within. The paper reveals that when free trade is applied to the contemporary world economy, developed countries are favored over developing countries.
From the Paper "In effect, comparative advantage implied that countries possessing advantage in producing agricultural or other simple products should relocate resources within the economy to focus on producing a specialized set of goods and vice versa. Following this dictate, many developing economies that were mostly agrarian channeled their resources to produce food commodities. On the other hand, their developed peers focused efforts on producing value goods, as they were more skilled at it. This theory had predicted that "trade between dissimilar countries implies a positive welfare effect on both countries since they can exploit their absolute and comparative advantages. Only costs of transporting goods between countries can keep them from exploiting those advantages". However, in practice developing nations focused themselves on producing goods that had lower international market value. Whereas, developed nations focused on further developing their technologies and produced goods with greater international market value. Therefore, developing nations stayed at a comparative disadvantage as compared to their developed counterparts."
Abstract This paper deals with the imperialism of free trade and the expansion of this trade between many countries in the world and England of the time. The paper also includes a review of how trade was organized then and how it is organized now. In addition to this, the paper details a few controls which have resulted in our modern day trade that also allow many of us to enjoy vast trade benefits which might not have been the case if imperialism of trade had not occurred.
From the Paper "In the early 1800s the British Empire was still recovering from the economic blow to their nation from the fight for the American Colonies, as well as massive industrial growth within their own country. Financially the bill was significant but the trade issues that faced the country were new and would only improve the financial state of the government, as well as the company owners and traders. However, as with all things, trading would be a very sensitive issue with some countries and obviously a political issue in England, as well as the chosen countries of trade."
Abstract This paper discusses the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the free trade that it supports. The paper presents and discusses the debate over the WTO and free trade and presents the views of those who support it and are critical of it. It examines the fundamental inequality in global trade that is fostered by the WTO and suggests that global trade serves to support the wealth and power of a global economic elite.
From the Paper "As this example suggests, while global trade and its associated wealth may be expanding rapidly - a process which the WTO seems to support - in many cases this expansion serves to promote inequality on a global scale instead of shared prosperity. When we consider that only 1/200th of the price of an average coffee beverage is actually paid to the original harvester of the crop, we can understand the extraordinary profits made at different middle stages of the trade before coffee is actually consumed in the wealthy markets of the world. The expanding and highly profitable global trade in coffee thus allows us to understand that while trade may expand and greater wealth is created as a result, this does not necessarily have to be equally or fairly distributed wealth. In fact, in many cases, global trade seems to support greater inequality."
Abstract This paper examines how economic development of any country promotes the trade and business and how free trade and liberalization in trade policies, on behalf of the governments, help the businesses to flourish and effectively compete in the world market. The writer covers the issues related to the economic development of the developing nations and discusses the aspects that have caused hindrance in the economic development of these countries. Finally the paper cites the example of a developing country (India) and discusses how liberalization in trade has helped it in making remarkable achievements with respect to economic growth and to bring improvements in its industry and trade.
From the Paper "In an era of increased globalization and advancements in technology, it has become increasingly important for all of the nations of the world to keep bringing improvements in their economic infrastructure and to expand their businesses on the global scale. It has been observed that without a reasonable level of economic development any country cannot gain a competitive position in the world market. This is the dilemma faced by most of the developed nations of the world."
Abstract The paper explores trade and trade issues between Brazil and the USA. The paper details the principal export products and examines the controversies in international trade between the USA and Brazil regarding access to markets. The paper includes the balance of trade.
From the Paper "This paper reviews international trade between Brazil and the United States. The principal products exported by Brazil to the United States are manufactured goods, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, automobiles and steel. The United States accounts for ? percent of Brazil's total exports The principal products imported by Brazil from the United States are machinery and equipment, chemical products, oil, electricity, automobiles and automobile parts. The United States accounts for ? percent of Brazil's total imports."
Abstract This paper is about global trade statistics. It looks at the role of the WTO and discusses direction and trends in trade, structure of world trade, Egypt in world trade, and major exporters and importers.
From the Paper "Sluggish import demand in Western Europe and a sharp contraction of Latin America's imports constituted a drag on global trade expansion. The World Trade Organization WTO suggests that developments in ..."
Tags: Global trade, balance of trade, export, import, statistics, egypt, trends, deficit, egypt
Abstract This paper explains that fast track trade legislation in the US is the process by which the President can introduce legislation to Congress involving trade agreements with foreign countries. The author points out that this type of legislation is unique in that there is a time limit on any debate and that the legislation must either be passed without modification or rejected altogether. The paper relates that the justification for fast track legislation is that it expedites trade negotiations with other countries but still allows congressional oversight. The author presents the issues of globalization, natural resource depletion, labor organizations and poverty in relationship to fast track free trade legislation.
From the Paper "Labor organizations oppose free trade because it can mean a loss of jobs in certain sectors of the U.S. economy. The increase in globalization has also given rise to a large number of U.S. firms relocating production processes to other countries to benefit from cheaper labor costs. Labor intensive industries such as manufacturing and textiles have almost entirely left the United States. While American consumers as a whole benefit from lower prices for these goods when they are imported back to the United States workers who have lost their jobs may have a hard time finding new employment."
Tags: congress, time limit, oversight globalization trade-offs
