This paper analyses the current state of participation of India in the international production networks (IPNs) of manufacturing industries in Asia, and identifies the constraints and challenges for India’s deeper participation in the near future. Using the disaggregated 5 digit SITC (Rev 3) level data, the estimates of intra-industry trade and export revealed comparative advantage in Parts and Components (P&C) in India’s manufacturing sector are analysed separately from that of total trade flows over the period from 1994 and 2008.

Even as the Doha Round seeks to address tariff liberalization issues in a comprehensive manner, the imbalance in the outcome of market access for developing country exporters will be particularly glaring in the case of fresh agricultural and processed food products. There is growing evidence that protectionism from the usage of non-tariff barriers such as SPS measures has increased tremendously in the recent past.

There is a crisis in multilateralism. This paper examines multilateralism by looking at the two most important current efforts to devise new multilateral rules binding all nations; the negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) of trade rules and the negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to devise rules restricting the annual emissions of greenhouse gases. Both negotiations have failed after several years of intensive effort. There are remarkable parallels in these negotiations.

Globalization has transformed business environments worldwide, including in the AsiaPacific region. The fast expansion of global supply chains (typically comprised of firms, suppliers, distribution links and labour), which are cross-border business and production networks, allows firms to allocate scarce resources more efficiently than ever before. The advancement of information and communication technology (ICT), the development of international logistics systems and the reduction of trade barriers have all facilitated the integration of economies through the web of global supply chains.

While developing Asia has used fragmentation and industrial agglomeration as leverage to create impetus for sustaining its competitiveness, the downside risks of just-in-time procurement and production have not been sufficiently emphasized. Based on the experience of Thailand’s flooding in 2011, this study examines the extent to which the supply chain disruptions are translated into plunges in production and export performance, and explores how companies can effectively manage the risks and cope with supply chain breakdowns.

The threat of the subprime crisis in the United States began to make itself felt in early 2008, with its effects subsequently become global. It is evident that trade linkages have been the most important channel for transmitting the subprime crisis to East Asian countries, including Thailand. The international trade literature points out that trade concentration is considered to be an important factor in the amplification of the effects of the crisis.

This paper examines various indicators of the economic activities of Japanese and American multinational corporation (MNC) affiliates in India compared to the case of China, using the unique affiliate-level data. The study shows that Japanese MNCs in India follow the typical MNC expansion strategy in that rapidly growing emerging economy with a focus on the transport equipment industry, whereas United States counterparts are concentrated more in information technology-related services, thus strengthening service-led growth of the Indian economy.

Cultural, institutional, and psychic distances between countries are critical determinants of bilateral trade. In this paper we examine if ethical distance and difference between an exporting country and an importing country matter in international trade. Ethics in international trade is important because purchasing, exports, marketing and sales activities are more likely to involve unethical behaviors like bribery and corruption. The focus of the paper is on the similarities and differences in ethical behaviors between a trade dyad (an importing and an exporting country).

To mitigate the level of vehicle carbon emissions in the next few decades, effective policy and technical options must be considered by the governments and automakers (and their suppliers) within Asia and the Pacific, where rapid development of the automotive sector is expected. Various factors and players, however, are also driving carbon emissions from vehicles in the region, leaving policymakers with complicated coordination tasks.

The volume of trade worldwide has increased as various trade barriers have been removed over time. Tariffs are one of the trade barriers that trading countries have made efforts to reduce. Tariff rates are determined based on the category that trade partners belong to. There are six possible categories for classifying trade partners: General, Temporary, World Trade Organization (WTO), Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Least Developed Country (LDC) and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)...