This book presents the latest trends and drivers of globalisation in major OECD countries and their implications for industrial performance and government policies. It analyses regional and sectoral trends in telecommunications, automobiles, steel, pharmaceuticals, airlines and financial services.

In addition to reviewing recent trends, this report identifies significant changes in science, technology and industry policies in the OECD countries.

With over 160 indicators, 60% of them new to this edition, the volume provides a comprehensive picture of countries’ performance in the areas of science, technology and industry.

A comprehensive report on OECD activities in 2001-2002.

Consolidation activities such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been one of the major strategies adopted by Indian firms to withstand global competition. M&As experienced a substantial increase in value and volume during the post-liberalization era, facilitated by the presence of foreign subsidiaries in the Indian market as well as competitive pressure on domestic firms. The increased foreign investment through M&As brought new dimensions to the fore such as the implications on technological performance, efficiency, and more importantly, competition in the Indian market. The Globalisation of Indian Business: Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions in Indian Manufacturing provides an in-depth analysis of these issues, specifically aiming to understand whether the M&As strategies helped the firms to achieve their desired objectives in terms of improvement in technology, efficiency and market power in the context of the increase of M&As in India, using appropriate statistical and econometric techniques. The book is of additional importance in the context of the recently implemented Competition Act, replacing the thirty year old MRTP Act in India. The new Act aims to maintain competition and protect consumers’ interests without harming that of the producers’. Based on the analysis, broadly, the study cautions the regulators to rethink the efficiency defence argument and become more vigilant on the creation of monopolies. On the other side, it suggests firms should reconsider their post-merger integration strategy since consolidation has not led to a sustainable increase in market share of the surviving firms.

People passionately disagree about the nature of the globalization process. The failure of both the 1999 and 2003 World Trade Organization's (WTO) ministerial conferences in Seattle and Cancun, respectively, have highlighted the tensions among official, international organizations like the WTO, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, nongovernmental and private sector organizations, and some developing country governments. These tensions are commonly attributed to longstanding disagreements over such issues as labor rights, environmental standards, and tariff-cutting rules. In addition, developing countries are increasingly resentful of the burdens of adjustment placed on them that they argue are not matched by commensurate commitments from developed countries. Challenges to Globalization evaluates the arguments of pro-globalists and anti-globalists regarding issues such as globalization's relationship to democracy, its impact on the environment and on labor markets including the brain drain, sweat shop labor, wage levels, and changes in production processes, and the associated expansion of trade and its effects on prices. Baldwin, Winters, and the contributors to this volume look at multinational firms, foreign investment, and mergers and acquisitions and present surprising findings that often run counter to the claim that multinational firms primarily seek countries with low wage labor. The book closes with papers on financial opening and on the relationship between international economic policies and national economic growth rates.

Contains two analytic sections. The first addresses an apparent growth in discriminatory practices toward cross-border investment in recent years motivated by concerns about national security and related essential concerns. The second section focuses on the new opportunities arising from FDI.

This intriguing book uses a 'social structures of accumulation' approach to address the big questions in political economy, and will be of interest to historians, political economists and macroeconomists.

This second biennial report covers SME policy trends in 28 OECD countries and presents findings of recent work undertaken on such themes as enterprise demography, taxation, SMEs and entrepreneurship, SMEs and environmental management, and the implications of global industrial restructuring for SMEs.

In reviewing developments since 2003, the this review evaluates the progress made in developing an effective institutional framework for cross-border M&A in China, takes stock of remaining obstacles, and offers policy options to address them.