The dynamic process of integration of national economies has a long history, with two distinct waves: one, from the middle of the 19th century until its interruption with outbreak of the First World War in 1913 till the end of the Second World War in 1945. The second wave is ongoing dating from...

In recent years, China has drawn a lot of attention, not only due to its rapid economic development and the WTO accession, but also due to its active attitude towards regional economic development. China, as the world's leading producer, also looks for multiple markets to decrease the chances of...

This paper introduces an alternative indicator to evaluate the external sector behavior of a country or region. The objective of this indicator, titled “The External Sector Vulnerability Monitoring Index” (henceforth ESVM) (λ), is to offer policy-makers and researchers a new analytical tool...

Policymakers increasingly view China’s rapidly growing wealth as a threat. China currently ranks second, or perhaps even first, in the world in gross domestic product (although 78th in per capita GDP), and the fear is that China will acquire military prowess commensurate with its wealth and...

Three features of China's trade patterns suggest that elements beyond factor abundance explain its export performance. The high penetration in world markets of labourintensive products has been accompanied by: (i) a high share in exports of productivityadvanced foreign-owned enterprises (FIEs),...

Two years after COVID-19 was first detected, countries continue to grapple with product shortages. In this paper, we explore the roots of these shortages through our examination of COVID as a disruption to global supply chains. We focus on China, one of the most influential actors in the global...

The paper reviews the cost and benefits of globalization (i.e. greater integration of national and global economies) from the perspective of India. It argues that India's hesitant and reluctant globalization had a significant cost in terms of forgone growth, delay in the eradication of poverty...

This volume was prepared by Inga Heiland while she was working at the Ifo Institute. It was completed in July 2016 and accepted as a doctoral thesis by the Department of Economics at the University of Munich. It comprises five chapters addressing one or more aspects of international trade and...