The book describes Japanese economic links with peripheral regions in Europe. Focusing particularly on manufacturing investment, the impact of Japanese firms is assessed against a background of increasing European economic integration. The uneven distribution of Japan's economic presence in Europe is emphasised, as is the importance of core economic regions for future investment activity. The growing importance of core regions is then linked to emerging patterns in the growth of science-based industries, as well as efforts by national and regional agencies to attract inward investment.
How the rise of globalization over the past two centuries helps explain the income gap between rich and poor countries today. Today's wide economic gap between the postindustrial countries of the West and the poorer countries of the third world is not new. Fifty years ago, the world economic order—two hundred years in the making—was already characterized by a vast difference in per capita income between rich and poor countries and by the fact that poor countries exported commodities (agricultural or mineral products) while rich countries exported manufactured products. In Trade and Poverty, leading economic historian Jeffrey G. Williamson traces the great divergence between the third world and the West to this nexus of trade, commodity specialization, and poverty. Analyzing the role of specialization, de-industrialization, and commodity price volatility with econometrics and case studies of India, Ottoman Turkey, and Mexico, Williamson demonstrates why the close correlation between trade and poverty emerged. Globalization and the great divergence were causally related, and thus the rise of globalization over the past two centuries helps account for the income gap between rich and poor countries today.
The contributions investigate indicators of change and the interaction with FDI from East Asia against the background of changes in the regional economy since the mid 1980s. They discuss in particular how the North tackled long-term decline and the long-term implications for the region.
'Ando's well-researched comparison of Japanese automobile and pharmaceutical investment in Europe not only provides a compelling demonstration of the strategic and organizational diversity of contemporary Japanese multinationals, but illustrates the challenges faced by all multinationals by the complex and multi-faceted process of European integration.' - Geoffrey Jones, Harvard Business School, US This book explores the regional strategy and management of Japanese MNEs in Europe. Ken-ichi Ando investigates, using case studies of the auto and pharmaceutical industries, how these companies can, and do, overcome the inherent difficulties and opportunities of trading in Europe, including the problems posed by cultural differences and geography, alongside the opportunities of expanding markets. While these companies are global players, they must increasingly be aware of, and evolve in response to, European economic integration. The strategy setting and management are influenced by company- and industry-specific factors, and some common features can be found. The locational and entry strategies are based both on the multinationals' own resources and capability, and on the changing locational conditions, while pan-European management is conducted to achieve the benefits of 'multinationality' at the regional level. The mutual relationships between the location of subsidiaries, the entry mode, and the pan-European operation are clearly shown from the detailed analysis at the company level. The impacts and limits of the EU on multinationals are also confirmed in the book, and the importance of national characteristics is suggested. Scholars and graduate students studying international business and economics, as well as European integration will find this book of great interest.
Not another 'misunderstandings and misconceptions' volume, but a wide-ranging review of intellectual traditions, mutual and alternative images, and case studies of people and events that mirror the focus of this book.
The Regional Handbooks of Economic Development series provides accessible overviews of countries within their larger domestic and international contexts, focusing on the relations among regions as they meet the challenges of the twenty first century. The series allows the non-specialist student to explore a wide range of complex factors-social and political as well as economic-that affect the growth of developing regions in Asia, Europe, and South America. Each Handbook provides an overview chapter discussing the region's economic conditions within an historical and political context, as well as 20 or more chapter-length essays written by recognized experts, which analyze the key issues affecting a region's economy: its population, natural resources, foreign trade, labor problems, and economic inequalities, and other vital factors. In addition, the volumes offer useful support materials, including a series of appendices that include a detailed chronology of events in the region, a glossary of terms, biographical entries on key personalities, an annotated bibliography of further reading, and a comprehensive analytical index.
Japanese firms are in the midst of the most protracted economic crisis in their post-war history. The end of the "bubble economy" has led to a long era of low growth. This change in the general business environment has profound consequences for the management and the organization of corporate Japan, as well as for the theory of the Japanese firm. The contributions to this book cover a broad range of subjects, from the strategies and organizational structures to the management of human resources and innovation processes in the 1990s. These changes are systematically commented on by field specialists from abroad, especially Europe, relating the situation in Japan to comparable developments in other countries.
Japan's economy stumbled in the 1990s, after four decades of rapid growth that transformed Japan into a wealthy country at the world's technological frontier. This volume explores the forces that will drive structural and institutional change in Japan over the next decade.
The latest edition of this comprehensive and user-friendly textbook provides a single volume resource for all those studying Japan's international relations. It offers a clear and concise introduction to the most important aspects of Japan's role in the globalized economy of the twenty-first century. The book has been fully updated and revised to include comprehensive discussions of contemporary key issues for Japan’s IR, including: the rise of China; reaction to the global economic and financial crisis since 2008; Japan’s proactive role after 9/11 and the war on terror; responses to events on the Korean Peninsula; relations with the USA and the Obama administration; relations with Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East; changing responses to an expanding and deepening European Union. Extensively illustrated, the text includes statistics, maps, photographs, summaries and suggestions for further reading, making it essential reading for those studying Japanese politics and the international relations of the Asia Pacific. A note on the cover: The cover illustration entitled 'Double Standard' is a Japanese manga penned by satirical artist Ichihanahana in November 2010 regarding rising Japanese nationalism, Japan-China tensions over the disputed territory of the Senkaku islands and the US presence in Okinawa. This manga demonstrates many of the key themes in Japan’s ties with China and the US, but also a number of other central features of Japan’s international relations as explored throughout this text.
The Political Economy of Japanese Globalisation reveals the key dimensions of Japanese globalisation today by analysing both its inward and outward manifestations. This is the first book to examine fully the issue of globalisation in relation to Japan. Organised in three parts, The Political Economy of Japanese Globalisation reveals the meanings and implications of the study of Japan's globalization in the context of on-going debates about globalisation in general. The book demonstrates how, despite the passing of the 'Japanese model', Japan can still provide significant insights into the meaning of this phenomenon. The first part of the book examines globalization in politics and international relations: Japan's particular position in globalization; its recent role in the East Asian political economy; and the relative identities of Japan and Europe. Part two looks at the economy and business at the heart of Japanese globalization: Japan's globalization in Asia as part of oriental capitalism; its recent financial reforms; the US globalization in Japan; Japan's impact on Germany and the meaning of 'Japanization' and 'globalization'. The third part of the book assesses the social issues in Japan in the context of globalization, highlighting the positive political impact of globalization seen in the way externally generated pressures have brought into focus 'universal' values, such as citizenship, human rights and democracy. Providing a clear analysis of the political economy of Japanese globalization in one volume, The Political Economy of Japanese Globalization is a major resource for postgraduates and researchers in Japanese studies, Asian studies, international relations, international political economy, as well as for all those dealing with Japan professionally.
