Ten or fifteen years ago global business was mainly in the hands of a select number of multinational giants. Small and medium-sized business concentrated on their home markets and perhaps one or two neighboring countries. Not so any longer. Even the smallest businesses have realized that they...

Official Development Assistance, or foreign aid, disbursed by the EU member states reached record levels in 2008, when several member states raised their assistance considerably, while some of the new member states became donors again. This definitive study analyses a wide range of aspects of...

This book includes up-to-date studies of regional integration efforts in all major parts of the world, especially North America, South America and East Asia. In many cases these efforts are compared with the EU, where integration has progressed much further. Some important questions are asked:...

Climate change is the major challenge of the 21st century. In order to mitigate global warming, atmospheric carbon dioxide has to be reduced dramatically. Via instruments designed by the soon expiring Kyoto Protocol and different other measures, the international community aims to realise this...

As Buy-Outs became larger and more levered in the mid 2000's the European Leveraged Finance market experienced a wave of innovations. This research is concentrating on the capitalisation process of leveraged Buy-Outs in Europe, taking the perspective of an equity investor.We embark on the quest...

The German proverb "Misfortune seldom arrives alone", captures completely the essence of present German social economic difficulties. The decade of vibrant economic growth has become a memory and is not part of the historical experience shared by the generation born in the 70s and 80s, getting...

Central banks around the world try to influence economic activity by altering nominal interest rates which will have an effect on the real rate. However, this is only possible as long as interest rates are above zero. The case of Japan showed that monetary policy was helpless as nominal rates...

This paper shall investigate the trade integration between Turkey and the EU. The plan of the book is as follows. At first the historical background of the development concerning the trade relations between the two parties is conveyed. This includes the period from first association to...

The volume explores late medieval market mechanisms and associated institutional, fiscal and monetary, organizational, decision-making, legal and ethical issues, as well as selected aspects of production, consumption and market integration. The essays span a variety of local, regional, and...

Key Features:Focuses exclusively on regional trade agreements (RTAs)Takes a novel approach by combining theory and implementation, supported by empirical evidenceProvides an exhaustive account of major RTAs and serves as a valuable and credible information source on international trade agreements.