An analytic and empirical study of unilateral trade liberalization agreements, from the nineteenth century to the present.Since the end of World War II, the freeing of trade has been most visible in reciprocal liberalization agreements negotiated under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT, and through increasing bilateral and plurilateral agreements. There has also, however, been…
The extreme protectionism that contributed to a collapse of world trade in the 1930s is examined in light of the recent economic crisis.The recent economic crisis--with the plunge in the stock market, numerous bank failures and widespread financial distress, declining output and rising unemployment--has been reminiscent of the Great Depression. The Depression of the 1930s was marked by the spre…