Recent Contributions, from France, to International Economics and Finance

Abstract

This Special Issue of the Review of International Economics offers innovative perspectives on an extensive range of topical analytic, empirical, and policy issues in international economics and finance. While the authors come from a wide range of international institutions, all of the articles have some research link to French institutions. This French connection is either in terms of at least one author’s formal professional affiliation, or presentation of the research at one of several international conferences in France. As such, the research presented here is quite representative of a continued swell in high-quality contributions to international economics from economists in France and elsewhere in Europe. The articles in this Special Issue also span a wide range of subjects, using very different conceptual and empirical methodologies. The proposed analysis includes applications in such diverse economic contexts as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the European Union, China, and a range of developing countries. Several distinct broad areas of research inquiry can be identified. A first set of papers relates to different dimensions of trade liberalization. These range from investigating the interrelation between trade and labor market performance, assessing the effects of trade liberalization in the context of the European Multi-Fibre Agreement, and evaluating the impact of inter-provincial trade barriers in China. Another paper, also relating to trade liberalization, examines certification of origin, as a protectionist instrument. A second set of contributions concerns various dimensions of regional trade agreements. These include explanations for the formation of regional trade agreements, along with associated questions of the interrelation between regionalism and multilateralism, as well as a consideration of how North–South integration can potentially impact multinational firms’ investment and trade strategies. Another paper examines Review of International Economics, 13(3), 403–408, 2005