Politics of international economic relations

Powerful new forces have combined to hasten the decline of the old international economic order; it is now the politics of eco nomic relations which hold the centre of the stage in Internation al affairs. In this new textbook for undergraduates embarking on the study of international political economy, Dr Spero seeks to trace these developments from a theoretical perspective that integrates the study of international relations, with its tradi tional emphasis on security politics, and the operation of the International economy.

Dr Spero develops her study through the examination of the role and structure of political management in international eco nomic affairs since the Second World War: how economic policy outcomes are determined by the political process and become political outcomes; and how political objectives can play a predominate role determining economic policy. In parti cular, The Politics of International Economic Relations focuses on such broad and complex questions as the dependent North South system of relations; Third World demand for a New International Economic Order', the emergence of OPEC and the power of the primary-producer over the consumer; the extension of international business and the role of the multinational com pany; the changing nature of East-West economic relations in a period of detente and the effect of increased economic competi tion and interdependence between the United States, Western Europe and Japan.