This 2008 book examines international trade cooperation in 1815–1914. Basing the theoretical analysis on the domestic political economy of states, Pahre develops theories of international cooperation, the spread of trade cooperation, and the effect of trade regimes. The book examines trade politics in the entire century from 1815 to 1914 around the world, using a database of trade agreements. It will appeal to students of international relations, comparative political economy, economic history, trade law, and international organizations.
• The definitive work on the nineteenth-century trading regime, the first great period of globalization • Offers methodological diversity, combining formal theories of politics, statistical methods, comparative qualitative analysis and case studies • Multidisciplinary, drawing from political science, economics, history and sociology
Contents
Part I. Cooperation and Variation: 1. International cooperation across time and space; Part II. Domestic Politics and Trade Policy: 2. Conceptualizing and measuring trade policy; 3. A political support theory of trade policy; 4. State capacity, fiscal concerns, and the tariff; 5. Political institutions and tariffs; Part III. Political Support and Trade Cooperation: 6. The trade agreements database; 7. Political support and trade treaties; 8. Variation in trade cooperation; 9. Ratification and trade treaties; Part IV. Norms and Cooperation: 10. The most-favored-nation norm; 11. The spread of the trade treaty network; 12. Clustering negotiations in time; Part V. Conclusions: 13. Explaining trade cooperation in 1815–1914.
Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'While political scientists and other scholars have studied the post-World War II trade regime in detail, we still know little about the basis of trade cooperation in the past. In this important volume, Robert Pahre sheds new and fascinating light on the nineteenth century trading system. His work will be of great interest to scholars working in many fields and disciplines.' Douglas A. Irwin, Dartmouth College
Review of the hardback: 'This book presents a unique look at international cooperation in trade over the long run, starting from the early 19th century. It has at least three great strengths. It offers a wonderful new dataset of international cooperation in trade. It sets forth a series of intriguing and sophisticated propositions about the conditions under which cooperation will and will not occur. And finally it provides strong evidence that the current wave of trade cooperation and globalization it has fostered can be sustained, despite domestic backlashes.' Helen V. Milner, Princeton University
Review of the hardback: 'This is a monumental work, offering a staggeringly deep and complete account of the domestic and international politics of trade in the 19th century. The depth and breadth of the book is breathtaking. From a simple model based firmly in the view that trade policy must be derived from domestic political and international economic conditions, the author develops a compelling theory, building from the country level, through the bilateral/multilateral negotiations to the systemic level. It brings the methods and tools of modern political economy to investigate trade policies and patterns from the last great period of globalization and comprehensively establishes where our modern views survive in the face of this evidence, and where these views need to be conditioned or altered.' B. Peter Rosendorff, New York University
Printer friendly version