Narrowing the Channel

"While large, multi-national corporations have supported the removal of tariffs, behind the scenes these firms have fought for protection in the form of product regulations-testing, labeling, and registration requirements. Unlike tariffs, these policies can raise fixed costs that tend to exclude smaller firms from the market and shift profits toward global giants. This book demonstrates that globalization and globalized firms can, paradoxically, hinder rather than foster economic cooperation as larger firms seek to protect their markets through often unnecessarily strict product regulations. To illustrate the problem of regulatory protectionism, this book offers an in-depth analysis of contemporary rulemaking in the United States and the European Union in the areas of health, safety and environmental standards. Gulotty shows how large firms seek regulatory schemes that disproportionately disadvantage small firms"--