International trade and political conflict: commerce, coalitions, and mobility

Abstract

This work unveils a potent new approach to one of the oldest debates in political economy - that over whether class conflict or group competition is more prevalent in politics. It goes on to outline the conditions under which one type of political conflict is more likely than the other. Michael Hiscox focuses on a critical issue affecting support for and opposition to free trade - factor mobility, or the ability of those who own a factor of production (land, labour, or capital) to move it from one industry to another. He argues that the types of political coalitions that form in trade politics depend largely on the extent to which factors are mobile between industries. Class coalitions are more likely where factor mobility is high, Hiscox demonstrates, whereas narrow, industry-based coalitions predominate where it is low. The book also backs up the theory it advances with systematic evidence from the history of trade politics in six nations since 1800, using a combination of case studies and quantitative analysis. It makes fresh conclusions about the forces shaping trade policy outcomes - conclusions that yield surprising insights into the likely evolution of the global trading system and US trade policy in particular.