U.S. Protectionism and the World Debt Crisis
U.S. Protectionism and the World Debt Crisis

Author: Edward Ray

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1989-12-11

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 0313389519

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Ray presents a comprehensive review of U.S. trade policy since World War II, with particular emphasis on how that policy has affected developing countries. Special attention is given to trade policy shifts in the last twenty years in an attempt to determine whether or not U.S. trade concessions to developing countries contribute positively to their efforts to meet their considerable debt obligations. The author combines theoretical discussion with empirical data drawn from the seven leading debtor nations--Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, and Venezuela--in a provocative examination of the economic and sociopolitical causes and implications of changes in protectionism and the pattern of tariff and nontariff trade barriers in the last few decades. Following an introductory analysis of the history of protectionism in the United States, Ray explores the role of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) after World War II in eliminating protection and the impact on developing countries of the changes in tariffs and in the use of nontariff trade barriers under the auspices of GATT. Subsequent chapters deal with such issues as the reasons for the adoption of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) adopted in 1975, the relationship between U.S. trade policies since 1975 and the world debt crisis, the reasons behind the adoption of the Caribbean Basin Initiative in 1983, and the 1985 revision of the GSP. A separate empirical chapter assesses the effects of the new GSP legislation on exports to the United States from developing countries in general and from the severely indebted seven in particular. The final chapter is organized around three major themes: the future course of U.S. trade policy, the likely impact of the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement on the United States and Canada, and the Uruguay Round negotiations and the implications of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 on trade between the United States and the debtor nations. Students of international business, international politics, and economic development will find Ray's analysis of the relationship between trade protectionism and world debt an important contribution to current debates on the causes, effects, and solutions to the Third World debt crisis.

Economic Policies at Cross Purposes
Economic Policies at Cross Purposes

Author: Anne Kruger

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2010-12-01

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 081570738X

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As developing countries become increasingly important in the international economy, there is an urgent need to reassess U.S. policies. This book examines the various U.S. international economic policies that affect developing countries and shows that American policies regarding trade, aid, debt, and the multilateral institutions are undertaken largely without coordination and often conflict with each other. Tracing the evolution of foreign aid, Anna Krueger explains that just after World War II American economic policies toward developing countries consisted almost entirely of foreign aid. This approach was highly successful at first, but then the ability of USAID officials to carry out their mandate eroded over time because of political constraints and conflicting objectives of the aid program. She assesses the U.S. role toward the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and argues that the United States could have been far more effective in these institutions. Krueger then addresses trade policy. Although U.S. leadership to obtain an open multilateral trading system was regarded as a policy oriented toward developed countries, the resulting growth of the world trading system permitted rapid growth of developing countries. As developing countries have adopted realistic economic policies that are conducive to economic efficiency and growth, they have become more important trading partners for the United States and other developed countries. Looking at the evolution of U.S. policy toward the heavy debt burdens of developing countries, Krueger explains that U.S. policy has generally been one step behind the realities of the era. Illustrating how trade, aid, and debt policies interact, Krueger examines two cases: The Caribbean Basin Initiative and Korea. She shows that in Korea, for example, highly successful aid policies of the 1950s helped lay the foundations for rapid economic growth, while the success of Korea's exports then led to acrimonious relations over its trade and exchange rate policies. Krueger concludes by calling for a firmer U.S. commitment to an open multilateral trading system, and points to the interdependence between foreign and trade policies.

Global Waves of Debt
Global Waves of Debt

Author: M. Ayhan Kose

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2021-03-03

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 1464815453

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The global economy has experienced four waves of rapid debt accumulation over the past 50 years. The first three debt waves ended with financial crises in many emerging market and developing economies. During the current wave, which started in 2010, the increase in debt in these economies has already been larger, faster, and broader-based than in the previous three waves. Current low interest rates mitigate some of the risks associated with high debt. However, emerging market and developing economies are also confronted by weak growth prospects, mounting vulnerabilities, and elevated global risks. A menu of policy options is available to reduce the likelihood that the current debt wave will end in crisis and, if crises do take place, will alleviate their impact.

Debt Crisis in the Third World
Debt Crisis in the Third World

Author: Yanhui Zhang

Publisher: GRIN Verlag

Published: 2005-05-19

Total Pages: 18

ISBN-13: 3638379329

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Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Politics - Topic: Globalization, Political Economics, grade: 1,3, University of Northampton, course: Global Political Economy, language: English, abstract: [...] In the 1970s, the world trade framework provided possibilities and opportunities for poor economies to grow. However, the harsh reality of poverty in those new independent nations was the main obstacle for any development. Their economic conditions suggested that borrowing money and gaining foreign aids were reasonable courses in the 1970s. In the meantime, the ex-colonial powers began rising awareness of remaining their influence over their past conquests. Considering of remaining economic dependency, western countries showed great willingness of lending money to poor nations. The result was an unprecedented flow of sources from the developed countries to the developing world. A large proportion of sources were in form of loans and international aids from commercial banks and western governments. Many developing countries had very large debts, and the amount of money they owed was quickly increasing. In 1982, Mexico came finally to the brink of default on its foreign debt. The critical situation marked the beginning of the “Third World Debt Crisis”. In 1970, the fifteen heavily indebted nations (using the World Bank classification of 1989) had an external public debt of $17.923 billion – which amounted to 9.8% for their GNP. By 1987, these same nations owed $402.171 billion, or 47.5% of their GNP. Interest payments owed by these countries went from $2.789 billion in 1970 to $36.251 billion in 1987. In 1991, the developing world as a whole owed a total external debt of $1.362 trillion, or 126.5% of their total exports of goods and services that year (Ferraro, V. & Rosser, M., 1994). Trying to pay off the debt became a serious problem for these countries. The nature and terms as well as the political conditions with them caused great hardship for their people. The debt crisis in the third world is highly linked to the issues of western policies, interest rates, export values and confidence in the international banking system. The crisis is thus an international phenomenon and to understand it fully needs a global perspective. This paper will examine the origins of the debt crisis in the third world in the first part and the consequences in the second part. The third part will give solutions and recommendations followed by conclusion in the fourth part.