Internationalization of Industry

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XV

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2. Interdependency Through Internationalization in an Historical and Global Perspective

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. The “International Disorder”: Some Historical Digressions on the Structure of Global Interdependencies

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 3-12

   3. Dimensions and Perspectives of Interdependence: Exports, Multinationals, and New Forms of Internationalization

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 13-22

   4. Global Forces behind New Forms of Internationalization

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 23-30

   5. The Structural Adjustment Problems of the National Economy: Views on the “Competitiveness Debate” of Swiss Executives

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 31-35

3. A Taxonomy of New Forms of International Investment and Export Financing

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 37-37

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   2. New Forms of International Investment

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 39-43

   3. New Forms of Export Financing

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 44-49

4. Economic Theory and New Forms of Internationalization: Toward the Synthesis of a General Model

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 51-51

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   2. Introduction: Synopsis of Theoretical Development with Regard to Trade, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and New Forms of Internationalization (NFI)

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 53-56

   3. The Transaction Cost Approach to New Forms of International Investment (NFII)

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 57-64

   4. The Transaction Cost Approach to New Forms of Export Financing (NFEF)

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 65-73

   5. Competitive Advantage and Technological Change from the Strategic Perspective of the Firm

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 74-77

5. Empirical Research on the Impact of New Forms of Internationalization on Swiss Industry

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 79-79

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   2. Empirical Research Concept and Data Base of our Swiss Study

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 81-83

   3. Case Study Results

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 84-91

   4. Results of the Survey on New Forms of International Investment (NFII)

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 92-106

   5. Results of the Survey on New Forms of Export Financing (NFEF)

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 107-120

   6. Results of Surveys of Swiss Multinationals

      • Silvio Borner

      Pages 121-128

About 10 years ago, the first very small steps towards this book were taken. The starting point was marked by the deep and sudden slump of the Swiss economy in the mid-seventies: a crisis wiping out about 10 percentage points of GNP and employment within just two years. To this writer, it was clear from the beginning that neither the exogenous shocks nor the struc­ tural changes were in fact exogenous or structural. They were given and sha­ ped by global forces. They were part and parcel of capitalist development. There is no other highly developed country in the world which is so ex­ tremely and integrally exposed to world-wide currents of financial and economic changes as Switzerland. The degree and dimensions of open­ ness ofthe Swiss economy led to the formulation of our research approach for studying the internationalization of the economy, a topic theoretically and politically developed in this book. Empirical evidence relates to our study of Swiss experience. A well-known Swiss-American economist offered the following com­ ment on our previous work on the internationalization of industry: "You are very good in raising interesting questions ..." What was undoubtedly meant as a criticism was received as a compliment. Too much talent and too many research efforts are, in my opinion, wasted by research programs which place technique over substance. This unfortunate development in our profession has already greatly reduced the social utility of economists.

• Switzerland
• development
• economy
• employment
• foreign direct investment
• foreign trade
• internationalization
• research
• trade policy
• utility

• Institut für Angewandte Wirtschaftsforschung, Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland

  Silvio Borner

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