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International economic law, with its traditional focus on large multinational enterprises, is only slowly waking up to the new reality of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), entering the global marketplace. In the wake of the digital revolution, smaller companies now play an important role in the global economic landscape. In 2015 the UN expressly called for SMEs to have greater access to international trade and investment, and it is increasingly recognized that the integration of SMEs provides one of the keys to creating a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. As SMEs increasingly permeate transnational supply chains, so interactions between these companies and international economic law and policy proliferate. 'Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in International Economic Law' offers the first comprehensive analysis of the interaction between SMEs and international economic law. This book presents a broad international perspective, gathering together contributions by leading experts from academia, legal practice, and international organizations. It opens up a field of enquiry into this so far unexplored dynamic and provide a touchstone for future debate. The analysis covers a broad spectrum of international trade and investment law focusing on issues of particular interest to SMEs, such as trade in services, government procurement, and trade facilitation. Diverse perspectives illuminate regional developments (in particular within the EU) and the implications of mega-regional free trade agreements. The essays also examine questions of legitimacy of global economic governance; in particular, concerns surrounding the threat posed to the interests of domestic SMEs by the growing liberalization of international trade and investment. These essays constitute essential reading for practitioners and academics seeking to navigate a previously neglected trend in international economic law --Front flap of cover

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) constitutes one of the largest foreign investments China has made in the framework of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative. The expenditures planned for the coming years in the amount of approximately $46 billion will further intensify relations between China and Pakistan. At the same time, Pakistan will assume a more prominent role in China's foreign policy. But CPEC also affects relations between India and Pakistan. The transport corridor between Pakistan and China traverses Jammu and Kashmir, the status of which has been a subject of contention between India and Pakistan since 1947. This constellation would seem to suggest a negative scenario whereby CPEC could place additional strain on India-Pakistan relations. On the other hand, a positive scenario is also conceivable, with a settlement of the Kashmir dispute even becoming possible in the long term. (author's abstract)

In recent years, scholars of international relations have realized how poor have been their predictions, based on relative military or economic strength, of the outcome of negotiations or disputes. The strong often do not prevail or must compromise to a surprising extent. The Soviet Union's relations with its six East European allies have also exhibited this phenomenon. Even during the period when Soviet leaders were committed to maintaining control over Eastern Europe as a vital underpinning of Soviet security, and despite the Soviet Union's disproportionate strength in the region, the East European states departed from Soviet wishes in a variety of ways. In the late 1980s, this departure, for a while, took the ironic form of Romania, the GDR, and Czechoslovakia flouting Soviet calls for reform.

Sehr viele Unternehmen stehen heute im globalen Wettbewerb. Sie treffen ihre Entscheidungen im internationalen Kontext und sind damit von den Entwicklungen auf den Weltmärkten und den dahinter stehenden wirtschafts- und währungspolitischen Eingriffen unmittelbar betroffen. Ein wesentliches Ziel des Buches ist es, die grenzüberschreitenden ökonomischen Wirkungen und Zusammenhänge aufzuzeigen und zu erklären. Es soll dem Leser helfen, die Kernfragen der internationalen Wirtschaftspolitik zu beurteilen. Wie wirken geld- und fiskalpolitische Maßnahmen in offenen Volkswirtschaften? Welche Vorteile, welche Nachteile haben Wechselkurssysteme mit flexiblen oder festen Kursen? Was spricht für die Bildung einheitlicher Währungsräume, was spricht dagegen? Wodurch entstehen Währungs- und Finanzkrisen, welche Gefahren sind damit verbunden? Welche Aufgaben haben supranationale Institutionen wie der Internationale Währungsfonds, die Weltbank oder die WTO?.

This report analyzes key factors affecting international politics between Honduras and the United States.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- CONTENTS -- List of figures -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- CHAPTER 1 Introduction: an overview of the world economy -- Introduction -- The scope of international economics -- The output of the world economy -- Imports and exports of goods in the world economy -- International trade in services -- Capital flows in the world economy -- Trends in international production and trade -- Globalization -- Summary -- Key concepts and terms -- Problems and questions for review -- Notes -- References -- CHAPTER 2 Why countries trade -- Introduction -- International trade versus interregional trade -- Trade in an individual product -- Trade based on absolute advantage -- Absolute advantage -- The gains from specialization and trade with absolute advantage -- Trade based on comparative advantage -- Comparative advantage -- The gains from specialization and trade with comparative advantage -- Trade based on opportunity costs -- Opportunity costs -- The gains from specialization and trade with opportunity costs -- Dynamic gains from trade -- Summary -- Key concepts and terms -- Problems and questions for review -- Notes -- References -- CHAPTER 3 Comparative advantage and the production possibilities frontier -- Introduction -- The production possibilities frontier and constant costs -- The production possibilities frontier -- Production and consumption without specialization and trade -- Production and consumption with specialization and trade -- The terms of trade -- Changes in the gains from specialization and trade -- Demand conditions and the terms of trade -- Distribution of the gains from trade -- Trade under increasing opportunity costs -- Increasing costs and the production possibilities frontier -- Production and consumption without specialization and trade.

'Wising Up to the Costs of Aging' looks at how falling fertility and rising life expectancy have combined to threaten the ability of many countries to provide a decent standard of living for the old without imposing a crushing burden on the young. In our lead article, Ronald Lee and Andrew Mason say that while population aging in rich industrial countries as well as in some middle- and lower-income countries will challenge public and private budgets in many ways, a combination of reduced consumption, postponed retirement, increased asset holdings, and greater investment in human capital should