External Pressure, National Response - by Prosper M Bernard (Paperback)

About the Book

This book develops a theoretical framework to account for the sequence of industrial adjustment policy actions in Canada between the early 1970s and first decade of the twenty-first century and explains why liberal continentalism has emerged as the dominant policy framework.

Book Synopsis

The erosion of Canadian industrial strength in the early 1970s prompted Canada to rethink its postwar industrial adjustment strategy. From the early 1970s to the early 1980s, Ottawa tried trade diversification, foreign investment regulation, and an interventionist industrial policy. This path of policy development, however, produced limited positive results. In response to new opportunities and constraints in the mid-1980s, the Canadian government switched to a new policy path that sought to deregulate the domestic market and establish a continental institutional framework-with rules that would guarantee market access and facilitate the settlement of trade disputes. Since then, industrial adjustment has been shaped by liberal continentalism. This book develops a theoretical framework to account for the sequence of industrial adjustment policy actions between the early seventies and first decade of the twenty-first century, explaining why liberal continentalism has emerged as the dominant policy framework.

Review Quotes

"...a clear and rich description of Canada's shift from nationalism to liberal continentalism in its industrial policy." --Howard H. Lentner, professor emeritus of political science, City University of New York

"An important book on a timely topic....Bernard has utilized several perspectives, including theories of relative disparity shift and voice opportunity, as well as counterweight theory and historical institutionalism...[an] excellent book, sure to attract the interests of political economists and observers of Canadian politics." --Ross E. Burkhart, Boise State University

About the Author

Prosper M. Bernard, Jr., Ph.D., currently teaches political science at the College of Staten Island and the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University. He specializes in comparative political economy.