The Political Economy of Competitiveness offers an original perspective on the relationship between economic theory and policy. It places the issues within an accessible political economy perspective.
Rejecting the narrowness of mainstream economics the authors deploy an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of economic growth, placing it in its historical and political context. Issues covered include:
* trade theory and policy
* industrial decline and policy
* markets, competition and innovation
* globalisation, unemployment and government policy.
The...

The impact of protectionism is currently a contentious policy issue. This book evaluates the effects of protectionism on the British inter-war economy. In contrast to most studies of the period and the conclusions of orthodox economic theory, Kitson and Solomou show that the introduction of the General Tariff in 1932 provided a substantial stimulus to the domestic economy--a stimulus that can help to explain the trend improvement in British economic growth in the 1930s. The authors show that the tariff made domestic products more competitive, encouraging import substitution and macroeconomic...