International Trade Policy and European Industry, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014
The Case of the Electronics Business
Contributions to Economics Series

Trade policy has played a vital role in the decline of European electronics business. The events that resulted in the disappearance of the European television industry, of a European and Japanese video recorder format and of other European consumer electronics are directly related to market structures in exporting countries and business practices. In this book, factual business data shows and economic models explain how restrictive trade practices result in elimination of efficient competitors in export markets. It deals with the memorable case how a videocassette recorder format was established by dumping and how politics enabled it. An innovative tariff increase for CD players was invalidated by heavy dumping, causing closure of production in Europe. European CTV industry succumbed under permanent dumping and a series of biases ? as the interest of a state-owned company ? and serious errors making trade instruments void and rules irreconcilable with international agreements. Practical and theoretical examples and explanations, some in detail, of trade rules are provided. The book sketches events ? carelessness, prejudice or special interests, arbitrary and false application of trade instruments and fraud ? resulting in disappearance of various European electronics business segments.      

van Marion, born in 1943, studied Political Science and International Relations at the University of Amsterdam, where he obtained his Master in 1969. He became economist of a Dutch international trade organisation of business. He joined a large electronics company in 1977 and became Vice-President for International Economic Relations. He earned his PhD in economic at the University of Groningen in 1992, founded several European industry associations and acted in their board or served as president. In 1999 he started a private trade policy counselling practice.