The dynamics of the digital economy in the US, Europe and Japan are rather different. Some EU countries come close to the USA as the leading OECD country in the new economy, but Japan faces particular problems in catching-up digitally. Information and communication technology will affect productivity growth, production, the financial system and trade. Setting adequate rules for the digital economy - at the national and international level - is a key challenge for industrialized countries. Moreover, cultural and organizational challenges will also have to be met.

World trade is not only an economic but also a social, political, environmental, labor and legal matter. Economists and government planners aim at finding the efficient trade policy which enhances economic welfare and growth in a more harmonious and sustainable way.

This book contains 12 articles from internationally renowned experts in the field of world trade. The contributions cover a variety of pressing topics related to trade theory, trade policy, WTO and their relationship. They provide in-depth analysis of some of the trade issues currently discussed by academics and politicians,...

Advanced industrial nations face many difficult political and economic problems due to the accelerating pace and evolving character of technological change. In this volume, economists and political scientists discuss analytic and policy issues relating to the current state of technological capability in the United States, Japan, and Western Germany from a historical perspective and as a basis for future technological development. They also examine the problems and the issues involved in competition and cooperation among high technology firms and in evolving a more harmonious trade...