Investing in Protection: The Politics of Preferential Trade Agreements between North and South

‘Mark Manger presents an intriguing analysis of the proliferation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) between rich and poor nations. He argues that an important source of such PTAs is the role of multinational corporations from the developed world who see the agreements as a way of getting privileged access to attractive investments in the developing nations. His argument is clear and convincing, and the examples used to illustrate it – drawn largely from the United States, Japan, and countries in Latin America – are most illuminating. Investing in Protection will be valuable to scholars and students of international trade generally, and of trade relations between developed and developing nations in particular.’ Jeff Frieden, Harvard University

‘Mark Manger has gotten a jump-start with this compelling analysis of the numerous preferential trade agreements that have been negotiated between developed and developing countries since the setting of this benchmark by the North American Free Trade Agreement launched in 1994. Manger does not shy away from asking today’s big questions: what is the impetus for these PTAs from both sides of the negotiating table? Are they trade-creating or trade-diverting? What effect are they having on trade negotiations in the multilateral arena? This book will be the key academic reference on this subject, as well as a rich resource for legislators and policymakers who seek to negotiate such agreements.’ Carol Wise, University of Southern California

‘Investing in Protection … is an excellent piece of scholarship, as it deftly provides unique macro-level theoretical insights and supports them with illustrative micro-level case analysis. … Manger’s book will be of great interest to those scholars who wish to further their understanding of the negotiating dynamics of North-South PTAs specifically, or the proliferation of these types of PTAs more generally. Given the well known findings on the impact of PTAs on reducing conflict, promoting democracy, and increasing trade, improving our understanding of the dynamics that lead to their creation becomes all the more important. With Investing in Protection, I believe Mark Manger has done just that.’ Scott J. Cook, Review of International Organizations

‘Mark Manger has added a high-quality, original contribution to this literature and one with clear policy relevance.’ John Odell, University of Southern California