Economic Interdependence and International Conflict: New Perspectives on an Enduring Debate (Michigan Studies in International Political Economy) Book

The claim that free trade fosters peace has shaped numerous foreign policy initiatives in recent decades and has sparked a series of lively and ongoing academic debates. This book gathers the insights and ideas on this crucial issue of leading international relations theorists, economists, and methodologists to chart a course for future investigations into the relationship between economic exchange and the use of force. Fuller knowledge about the effects of international economic relations on politico-military relations has vital consequences for both theory and policy. The bulk of data-analytic research published to date shows that, in the aggregate, nations who trade more with one another are less likely to fight. But various challenges have been leveled against this literature, compelling researchers to look further into the causal pathways and boundary conditions that can neutralize this aggregate effect or even turn trade into a source of grievance. Edward D. Mansfield is Hum Rosen Professor of Political Science and Director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics, the University of Pennsylvania. Brian M. Pollins is Associate Professor of Political Science, The Ohio State University and Research Fellow, the Mershon Center. Read More