Great Britain was the preeminent capital exporter between 1865 and 1914 not only in the volume of investment but also in the industrial and geographical diversity of its capital outflows. This study furnishes comprehensive annual data on the magnitude, destination and composition of British capital exports. Individual country data as well as global, regional and Empire aggregates are provided. Supplemental analyses examine the security composition of the capital exports, the changing ranking of recipients, the use of government interest guarantees on loans and the distribution of interest rates on debentures by industry.
Great Britain was the preeminent capital exporter between 1865 and 1914 not only in the volume of investment but also in the industrial and geographical diversity of its capital outflows. This study furnishes comprehensive annual data on the magnitude, destination and composition of British capital exports. Individual country data as well as global, regional and Empire aggregates are provided. Supplemental analyses examine the security composition of the capital exports, the changing ranking of recipients, the use of government interest guarantees on loans and the distribution of interest rates on debentures by industry.
Why did the industrial revolution take place in 18th century Britain and not elsewhere in Europe or Asia? Robert Allen argues that the British industrial revolution was a successful response to the global economy of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Recent changes in technology, along with the opening up of many regions previously closed to investment, have led to explosive growth in the international movement of capital. Flows from foreign direct investment and debt and equity financing can bring countries substantial gains by augmenting local savings and by improving technology and incentives. Investing companies acquire market access, lower cost inputs, and opportunities for profitable introductions of production methods in the countries where they invest. But, as was underscored recently by the economic and financial crises in several Asian countries, capital flows can also bring risks. Although there is no simple explanation of the currency crisis in Asia, it is clear that fixed exchange rates and chronic deficits increased the likelihood of a breakdown. Similarly, during the 1970s, the United States and other industrial countries loaned OPEC surpluses to borrowers in Latin America. But when the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates to control soaring inflation, the result was a widespread debt moratorium in Latin America as many countries throughout the region struggled to pay the high interest on their foreign loans. International Capital Flows contains recent work by eminent scholars and practitioners on the experience of capital flows to Latin America, Asia, and eastern Europe. These papers discuss the role of banks, equity markets, and foreign direct investment in international capital flows, and the risks that investors and others face with these transactions. By focusing on capital flows' productivity and determinants, and the policy issues they raise, this collection is a valuable resource for economists, policymakers, and financial market participants.
UK ties with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf monarchies are under the spotlight as never before. Huge controversy surrounds Britain’s alliances with these deeply repressive regimes, and the UK’s key supporting role in the disastrous Saudi-led intervention in Yemen has lent added urgency to the debate. What lies behind the British government’s decision to place politics before principles in the Gulf? Why have Anglo-Arabian relations grown even closer in recent years, despite ongoing, egregious human rights violations? In this ground-breaking analysis, David Wearing argues that the Gulf Arab monarchies constitute the UK’s most important and lucrative alliances in the global south. They are central both to the British government’s ambitions to retain its status in the world system, and to its post-Brexit economic strategy. Exploring the complex and intertwined structures of UK-Gulf relations in trade and investment, arms sales and military cooperation, and energy, Wearing shines a light on the shocking lengths to which the British state has gone in order to support these regimes. As these issues continue to make the headlines, this book lifts the lid on ‘AngloArabia’ and what’s at stake for both sides.
The fundamental role of Great Britain's economy in the international economic system in the century preceding the First World War is demonstrated by a number of variables, which have drawn the interest of many scholars. The focus here is on capital flows. The main difficulty encountered in this work arose from a shortage of documentation on economic data in the historical period under consideration, which has been tentatively reconstructed, on the basis of a number of estimates, subjected to a close comparative scrutiny. The book provides a valid guide to anyone wishing to improve their understanding of the so-called "pax britannica" which, at that time, rested on the canons of free trade and the gold standard. This historical period is considered by many to be the first experience of capitalist globalization. In this sense the book is also intended to provide useful reading for those who want to reflect on the possible future evolution of the world economy.
The international mobility of people and elites is a main feature of the global economy of today. Immigration augments the labor force in receiving countries and provides many of the bodies and minds that are essential to any vibrant economy. This book is based on a blend of theory, varied country examples, and rich historical material ranging from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. It discusses the conceptual underpinnings of the push and pull factors of current migration waves and their impacts for development on the source and receiving countries. The analysis reviews the historical context under which various migration experiences have taken place - both in periods of internationalism and nationalism - in order to contribute to debates on the desirability of and tensions and costs involved in the current process of international migration.
Focusing on the great population movement of British emigrants before 1914, this book provides a perspective on the relationship between empire and globalisation. It shows how distinct structures of economic opportunity developed around the people who settled across a wider British World through the co-ethnic networks they created. Yet these networks could also limit and distort economic growth. The powerful appeal of ethnic identification often made trade and investment with racial 'outsiders' less appealing, thereby skewing economic activities toward communities perceived to be 'British'. By highlighting the importance of these networks to migration, finance and trade, this book contributes to debates about globalisation in the past and present. It reveals how the networks upon which the era of modern globalisation was built quickly turned in on themselves after 1918, converting racial, ethnic and class tensions into protectionism, nationalism and xenophobia. Avoiding such an outcome is a challenge faced today.
