The main objective of this book is to address the international integration through four chapters, each one highlighting the challenges and opportunities for developing countries, especially emerging ones, as they hold the largest growth potential and the greatest possibility of becoming modern, industrial economies with a higher standard of living (Kolodko, 2002). Throughout each of the chapters, there are questions designed to test the comprehension of each topic. Moreover, at the end of each section, students will find questions and exercises to help them consolidate their learning process. The book ends with a set of conclusions emphasizing the recent growth of most developing economies that have changed free trade geopolitics and how the new world relations bear both challenges and opportunities for these types of economies.

The increasingly integrated global economy presents both opportunities and challenges to national and international policymakers. Global economic integration is widely thought to improve the allocation of resources, promote technological transfer, and enhance living standards. But, at the same time, economic integration has frequently been associated with growing trade imbalances, increased financial market volatility, and less effective domestic macroeconomic policies.To identify domestic and international policies that will help nations around the world achieve the greatest net benefits from global integration, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City sponsored a symposium, titled "Global Economic Integration: Opportunities and Challenges," at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on August 24-26, 2000. The symposium brought together a distinguished group of central bankers, academics, and financial market representatives to discuss these issues.

The process of globalization can be seen in the increase of: trade interdependence, the importance of global multinational corporations, mobility and volatility of capital flows (with dangers demonstrated by the recent Mexican crisis). This globalization creates both dangers and new opportunities, both winners and losers. The parallel growth of regional blocs is equally hazardous, particularly for countries left outside the regional blocs. The book, with contributions by eminent experts, describes the impact of both globalization and regionalization and the relationship between these two dominant trends.

The problems of integration and globalization and the implications of such processes on individual countries have been in the spotlight of the economic debate among economists and politicians. This title adds to this discussion by bringing together new theoretical and empirical contributions to these issues.

The debates over what African economic integration and development actually entails continue across international economic organizations, national governments and NGOs. Despite the glare of media attention and the position this issue has on international political agendas, few comprehensive accounts exist that fully examine why this process will be inevitable in the 21st century and how integration of national economies can be attuned to attaining the socio-economic goals and aspirations of member-countries. This book addresses this problem. It combines theory with application, enumerating the imperatives and initiatives governments will be forced to confront; providing insights for educators and students in African development, for policy makers in African governments, and for inter-governmental organizations.

In the past three decades a number of important changes have made international business more complex and exciting. The rapid and continuous changes in information and communications technology (ITC), reduced trade barriers among countries, and regionalization have increased the links and dependency among firms from various countries. This has created opportunities for increasing expansion to new markets and increasing global integration while simultaneously posing many challenges. This book views international business as a complex and integrated system and takes a systems approach to study and analyze the changes thus enabling readers to assess global business opportunities and risk in a comprehensive and integral manner. The topics presented in this book allow practitioners, scholars, and students of international business to have a broad understanding of the most relevant issues in a changing international environment.

Economic integration is one of the most noteworthy issues in international economic policy at the end of the twentieth century. The recent examples of the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA) have raised important questions about the economic integration process and the possible establishment of economic unions in other parts of the world. Against the backdrop of the financial crisis in Europe and prospects of increasing integration in Asia, this volume showcases research from an international array of researchers to provide a basic understanding of the current issues, problems, challenges, and opportunities for achieving integration, addressing both empirical and theoretical aspects of such topics as monetary union, social policy reform and social union, public finance and technology policy. The chapters in Part 1 are focused primarily on economic issues, while Part 2 covers on social policy, the welfare state, and political reforms, with a particular emphasis on the European Union. Among the questions addressed: What are the main determinants and implications for socio-economic integration? How can economic policy influence the growth and integration process? Why is innovation important for regional economic development? What has been the policy response so far and what lessons have we learned from it? And finally, what are our action lines for the future?

The EU Single Market and the opening up of Eastern Europe offer a chance to create a truly pan-European market economy. In this respect, many lessons can be learned from early 20th-century developments in Europe. Bearing this in mind, the authors analyze the fragility of international trade, financial investment and foreign relations in and across Europe, from both a contemporary and historical perspective. In a period of increased migration and higher capital mobility, the major OECD countries are faced with such issues as monetary integration, the role of banks and the requirement for structural adjustment. Even more complex is the integration of Russia. Policymakers and the business community alike are presented simultaneously with unique opportunities and unique challenges - with old and new pitfalls looming.

Despite three decades of continuous globalization, transitional economies in many countries remain marginalized. In order to maximize the positive growth of employment creation opportunities in various sectors, including agriculture, existing patterns of long-run sustainable equilibrium relationships, technology transfers, and trade to promote export-led economic growth must be examined and identified. Regional Trade and Development Strategies in the Era of Globalization provides a comprehensive overview of globalization and regional initiative trends of trade and development through the examination of theoretical and practical experiences of their underpinning principles through approaches to overcome the obstacles of globalization and its positive and negative impacts on global trade and economic development. The content within this publication examines economic integration, foreign investment, and financial risk. It is designed for trade specialists, government officials, students, researchers, policymakers, business professionals, academicians, and economists.