One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2006 Duina's contribution fills an important void in the literature on comparative markets and politics... [It] helps pry open a welcome discussion about the contingencies behind the prevailing paths of regional trade agreements.
Michael Dreiling, Contemporary Sociology In this era of globalization, most literature on regional trade agreements (RTAs) assumes RTAs ... Read moreare a general embrace of the principle of free trade. However, this pathbreaking study shows they are remarkably different creations, stemming from unique historical, social, and cultural contexts that have a distinctive impact on their legal regimes.
Choice This book makes a powerful case for the thesis that the logic of late 20th century and early 21st century international trade involves far more than relative price convergence stemming from globalization. Indeed, it makes a strong case for asserting that the regional is trumping the global, market integration taking a back seat to increasingly powerful and regional distinctiveness
in law, in society and in politics.
Carl Mosk, Journal of International Trade & Economic Development For the reader who seeks to understand the complex challenges facing drafters of (and administrators within) [regional trade agreements]... Duina has written a thoughtful book that pushes the reader to pay attention to the legal and organizational structures of RTAs, and the paths that the RTA have followed and will follow in the future.
Mira Wilkens, International History Review There is a growing literature on the recent wave of regionalization, but few articles or books compare emerging regional trade association (RTAs). In The Social Construction of Free Trade, Francesco Duina provides one of the most systematic comparisons to date, one that focuses on the EU, NAFTA, and Mercosur... [This book] is a worthy pioneering effort toward illustrating the potential of comparative work on regional-bloc formation.
Juan Diez Medrano, American Journal of Sociology Show Less