The Political Economy Of The Pacific Rim

Combining an analysis of regionalism from a systemic view with a domestic political-economy analysis, this book sheds light on the new dynamics and emerging configurations of regionalisms and interregionalisms in the post-Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Donald Trump’s presidency has transformed trans-Pacific economic and political relations, contrasting sharply with President Obama’s ‘pivot to Asia’ strategy. Unilateralism and bilateralism have returned to the center stage, at the cost of regionalism, interregionalism, and multilateralism. Understanding these new dynamics requires closer examination of the underlying domestic political economies. Examining ten country case studies of multi-actor agency at the national level, expert contributors argue that trans-Pacific relations should not only be explained in terms of the behavior of the major powers, but that medium powers, and even small countries, can exert influence and occupy strategic nodes and contribute to shaping a new international relations network. Their findings will be of interest to scholars of international relations, international political economy, regionalism, and international economics.

This book is an edited volume of eleven chapters that focus on state policy and its consequences for economic development and social transformation in East Asia. The introductory chapter anticipates the conclusions of the chapters to follow, arguing that an adequate explanation of the &'Asian miracl.

In evaluating the idea of "Asia Pacific," the book shifts our focus from abstract relationships between capital and commodities to the human interactions that have played a formative part in the region's constitution. The contributors agree that it is these interactions that constitute the region, rather than the physical boundaries of the Pacific.

As the importance of the Pacific Rim as a global centre of large-scale investment, development, and trade continues to increase, so do the potential benefits that Canada and other countries could reap as a result of an increased presence in this diverse region. This book, a revised, and to a large extent new, version of The Pacific Rim: Investment, Development, and Trade (1987), integrates a broad range of current economic data concerning the Pacific Rim with some of the more important theoretical issues in the area of economic development and trade. It demonstrates the paradoxical combination of strength and fragility that characterizes the emerging integrated Pacific Rim economy and attempts to clarify the nature of the framework and constraints that face foreign investors and trading partners.

Analyzing the long-term, historical development of the major economies around the Pacific Rim in language aimed at the general reader, Coming Full Circle throws light on the most important relationships in the region today as well as on the prospects for future economic development and political cooperation. The authors begin with a critique of the popular notion of an integrated "Pacific region," paying particular attention to the influence of geography and environment on population distribution and patterns of regional economic activity. Their study covers the diverse indigenous development of pre-European times, later periods of direct European influence, and the evolution of modern-day urban societies in the region. Finally, they track the rise of the United States and Japan as the dominant regional economic powers and forecast changes we can expect to see in the years ahead, noting in particular the increasing importance of China.

This pathbreaking, multidisciplinary work challenges our unthinking acceptance of such terms as 'Asia Pacific' and 'Pacific Rim.' Clarifying the hidden power relationships and hegemonic struggles that are disguised by ideological constructions of the region, the contributors uncover fundamental contradictions_including the human costs and consequences_that underlie the much-celebrated economic boom. In evaluating the idea of 'Asia Pacific,' the book shifts our focus from abstract relationships between capital and commodities to the human interactions that have played a formative part in the region's constitution. The contributors agree that it is these interactions that constitute the region, rather than the physical boundaries of the Pacific. This revised and updated edition brings in additional essays focusing on conceptualizations of the Pacific, considers more fully interactions among countries, and strongly emphasizes peoples within the Pacific, who are routinely ignored in most discussions of the 'Rim.'