Small States in Multilateral Economic Negotiations

This book addresses the puzzle, Can David take on Goliath in multilateral economic negotiations, and if so, then under what conditions? The question of how the weak bargain with the strong in international politics is exciting theoretically and empirically. In a world of ever-increasing interdependence, and also a time of economic crisis, it acquires even greater significance. With the help of issue-specific case studies, the volume offers new insights into the vulnerabilities that small states face in multilateral economic negotiations, and also mechanisms whereby these weaknesses might be overcome and even used as an advantage. The attention that this volume pays to questions of smallness and negotiation allow it to address a long-standing problem of international politics. The case studies, which cover monetary, financial, trade, and climate change negotiations, ensure a unique and valuable topicality to the volume.

This book was published as a special issue of The Round Table.

Amrita Narlikar is Reader in International Political Economy and Director of the Centre for Rising Powers at the University of Cambridge. Her latest books include The Oxford Handbook on the WTO (co-edited), Oxford University Press, 2012, and New Powers: How to become one and how to manage them, Columbia University Press, 2010.