Abstract
THE group of industrialists, distributors, local government officers, university teachers and others who have produced this comprehensive monograph claim allegiance to no political party and are concerned solely with the problems of social and economic reconstruction. It is a lengthy report and contains a mass of statistical and other matter, bearing on the mechanism, finance and politics of international trade. The writers conclude that the idea of sweeping away international trade barriers is impracticable and is being replaced by organized exchange between nations, which, however, should be more constructively planned. The report discusses at length such constructive measures by taking into account not merely economic needs but also politics, psychology, transfer difficulties and other relevant factors. Within the policy of the State there should be scope for the initiative of individual traders, especially in co-operative steps. International trade will probably become permanently a smaller proportion of total trade, and will certainly not return to past conditions ; but on new and constructive lines there should be a measure of revival. Finally, it may be noted that the report examines frankly the role played in present trade by the economics of war.
PEP (Political and Economic Planning)
Report on International Trade: a Survey of Problems affecting the Expansion of International Trade, with Proposals for the Development of British Commercial Policy and Export Mechanism. Pp. vii + 302. (London: Political and Economic Planning, 1937.) Paper boards, 8s. 6d. net ; cloth, 12s. 6d. net.
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PEP (Political and Economic Planning). Nature 140, 133 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/140133b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/140133b0