Chapter

National Differences
in Political Economy
Copyright © 2016 McGraw-Hill Education (Asia). All rights reserved.
 What Is A Political Economy?
vThe political economy of a nation refers to
how the political, economic, and legal
systems of a country are interdependent
vthey interact and influence each other
vthey affect the level of economic well-being in
the nation

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 What Is A Political System?
vPolitical system refers to the system of
government in a nation
vAssessed according to
vthe degree to which the country emphasizes
collectivism as opposed to individualism
vthe degree to which the country is democratic
or totalitarian

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 What Is Collectivism?
vCollectivism stresses the primacy of
collective goals over individual goals
vcan be traced to the Greek philosopher, Plato
(427-347 BC)
vToday, collectivism is equated with
socialists (Karl Marx 1818-1883)
vadvocate state ownership of the basic means of
production, distribution, and exchange
vmanage to benefit society as a whole, rather
than individual capitalists
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 How Does Modern-Day
Socialism Look?
v In the early 20th century, socialism split into
1. Communism – socialism can only be achieved
through violent revolution and totalitarian
dictatorship
v in retreat worldwide by mid-1990s
2. Social democrats – socialism is achieved
through democratic means
v retreating as many countries move toward free
market economies – but can co-exist somewhat
v state-owned enterprises have been privatized

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 What Is Individualism?
vIndividualism refers to philosophy that an
individual should have freedom in his own
economic and political pursuits
vcan be traced to Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384-322
BC), who argued that individual diversity and private
ownership are desirable
vindividual economic and political freedoms are the
ground rules on which a society should be based
vimplies democratic political systems and free market
economies

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 What Is Democracy?
vDemocracy refers to a political system in which
government is by the people, exercised either
directly or through elected representatives
vusually associated with individualism
vpure democracy is based on the belief that citizens
should be directly involved in decision making
vmost modern democratic states practice
representative democracy where citizens periodically
elect individuals to represent them

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 What Is Totalitarianism?
v Totalitarianism is a form of government in which one
person or political party exercises absolute control over
all spheres of human life and prohibits opposing political
parties
1. Communist totalitarianism – found in states where the
communist party monopolizes power
2. Theocratic totalitarianism - found in states where political
power is monopolized by a party, group, or individual that
governs according to religious principles
3. Tribal totalitarianism - found in states where a political party
that represents the interests of a particular tribe monopolizes
power
4. Right-wing totalitarianism - permits some individual economic
freedom, but restricts individual political freedom

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 What Is An Economic System?
v There are three types of economic systems
1. Market economies - all productive activities are privately owned and
production is determined by the interaction of supply and demand
v government encourages free and fair competition between private
producers
2. Command economies - government plans the goods and services that a
country produces, the quantity that is produced, and the prices as which
they are sold
v all businesses are state-owned, and governments allocate resources for
“the good of society”
v because there is little incentive to control costs and be efficient,
command economies tend to stagnate
3. Mixed economies - certain sectors of the economy are left to private
ownership and free market mechanisms while other sectors have significant
state ownership and government planning
v governments tend to own firms that are considered important to
national security

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 What Is A Legal System?
v The legal system of a country refers to the rules
that regulate behavior along with the processes
by which the laws are enforced and through
which redress for grievances is obtained
v There are three types of legal systems
1. Common law - based on tradition, precedent,
and custom
2. Civic law - based on detailed set of laws
organized into codes
3. Theocratic law - law is based on religious
teachings

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 How Are Contracts Enforced In
Different Legal Systems?
v A contract is a document that specifies the conditions under which an
exchange is to occur and details the rights and obligations of the
parties involved
v Contract law is the body of law that governs contract enforcement
v Under a common law system, contracts tend to be very detailed with
all contingencies spelled out
v Under a civil law system, contracts tend to be much shorter and less
specific because many issues are already covered in the civil code
v Many countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on
Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CIGS) which
establishes a uniform set of rules governing certain aspects of the
making and performance of everyday commercial contracts between
buyers and sellers who have their places of business in different
nations

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 How Are Property Rights
And Corruption Related?
v Property rights refer to the legal rights over the use to
which a resource is put and over the use made of any
income that may be derived from that resource
v Can be violated through
1. Private action – theft, piracy, blackmail
2. Public action - legally - ex. excessive taxation or illegally - ex.
bribes or blackmailing
v high levels of corruption reduce foreign direct investment, the level
of international trade, and the economic growth rate in a country
v The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it illegal for
U.S. companies to bribe foreign government officials to
obtain or maintain business over which that foreign
official has authority

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Which Countries Are
Most Corrupt?
Rankings of Corruption by Country 2013

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 How Can Intellectual
Property Be Protected?
v Intellectual property - property that is the product of
intellectual activity
v Can be protected using
1. Patents – exclusive rights for a defined period to the
manufacture, use, or sale of that invention
2. Copyrights – the exclusive legal rights of authors,
composers, playwrights, artists, and publishers to publish
and disperse their work as they see fit
3. Trademarks – design and names by which merchants or
manufacturers designate and differentiate their products

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 How Can Intellectual
Property Be Protected?
vProtection of intellectual property rights differs
from country to country
vWorld Intellectual Property Organization
vParis Convention for the Protection of Industrial
Property
vTo avoid piracy, firms can
vstay away from countries where intellectual property
laws are lax
vfile lawsuits
vlobby governments for international property rights
agreements and enforcement

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 What Is Product Safety
And Liability?
vProduct safety laws set certain standards to
which a product must adhere
vProduct liability involves holding a firm and its
officers responsible when a product causes injury,
death, or damage
vWhen product safety laws are stricter in a firm’s
home country than in a foreign country, or when
liability laws are more lax, the firm has to decide
whether to adhere to home country or host
country standards

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 Quiz
https://create.kahoot.it/course/dd21d011-
f66d-4c15-a362-cde9d284c409

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 Review Question
_____ believe(s) that socialism can only be
achieved through violent revolution and
totalitarian dictatorship.

a) communists
b) social democrats
c) social republicans
d) Plato

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 Review Question
A form of government in which one person or
political party exercises complete control over all
spheres of human life and prohibits opposing
political parties is

a) a democracy
b) a representative democracy
c) totalitarianism
d) socialism

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 Review Question
______ is found in states where political power
is monopolized by a party according to
religious principles.

a) tribal totalitarianism
b) right-wing totalitarianism
c) theocratic totalitarianism
d) communist totalitarianism

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 Review Question
In which type of economic system are all
productive activities privately owned?

a) a mixed economy
b) a command economy
c) a representative economy
d) a market economy

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 Review Question
Which type of law is based on tradition,
precedent, and custom?

a) civil law
b) common law
c) theocratic law
d) contract law

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 Review Question
Design and names by which merchants or
manufacturers designate and differentiate
their products are called

a) trademarks
b) copyrights
c) patents
d) name brands

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 What Determines A Country’s Level
Of Economic Development?
v Two ways to measure levels of economic
development are
1. Gross national income (GNI) per person
2. Purchasing power parity (PPP) involves
adjusting GNI by purchasing power
v Nobel-prize winner Amartya Sen argues
economic development should be seen as a
process of expanding the real freedoms that
people experience
v the removal of major impediments to freedom like
poverty, tyranny, and neglect of public facilities
v the presence of basic health care and basic education

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 What Determines A Country’s Level
Of Economic Development?
v The United Nations used Sen’s ideas to
develop the Human Development Index
(HDI) which is based on
v life expectancy at birth
v educational attainment
v whether average incomes are sufficient to
meet the basic needs of life in a country

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How Do Countries Compare on
Economic Development?
Economic Data for Select Countries

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 How Does Political Economy
Influence Economic Progress?
vInnovation and entrepreneurship are the engines
of long-run economic growth
vInnovation and entrepreneurship require a
market economy and strong property rights
vDemocratic regimes are probably more conducive
to long-term economic growth than dictatorships,
even the benevolent kind
vSubsequent economic growth leads to the
establishment of democratic regimes

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How Do Geography And Education
Influence Economic Development?
vCountries with favorable geography are
more likely to engage in trade, and so, be
more open to market-based economic
systems, and the economic growth they
promote
vCountries that invest in education have
higher growth rates because the workforce
is more productive

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 How Is The Political
Economy Changing?
v Since the late 1980s, two trends have emerged
1. Democratic revolution (late 1980s and early 1990s)
v many totalitarian regimes failed to deliver economic progress to
the vast bulk of their populations
v new information and communication technologies have broken
down the ability of the state to control access to uncensored
information
v economic advances of the last 25 years have led to increasingly
prosperous middle and working classes who have pushed for
democratic reforms
2. A move away from centrally planned and mixed
economies
v more countries have shifted toward the market-based model

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 How Free Are
Countries Politically?
Political Freedom

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 How Free Are
Countries Economically?
Distribution of Economic Freedom

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 What Is The Nature Of
Economic Transformation?
vThe shift toward a market-based system
involves
vderegulation – removing legal restrictions to
the free play of markets, the establishment of
private enterprises, and the manner in which
private enterprises operate
vprivatization - transfers the ownership of state
property into the hands of private investors
vthe creation of a legal system to safeguard
property rights

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 What Does The Changing
Economy Mean For Managers?
v Markets that were formerly off-limits to foreign businesses
are now open
v By identifying and investing early in a potential future
economic stars, firms may be able to gain first mover
advantages (advantages that accrue to early entrants into
a market) and establish loyalty and experience in a country
v ex. China -1.2 billion people and India – 1.1 billion people
v However, the potential risks are large
v It can be more costly to do business in countries with
dramatically different product, workplace, and pollution
standards, or where there is poor legal protection for
property rights

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 What Does The Changing
Economy Mean For Managers?
v Managers must consider
1. Political risk - the likelihood that political forces will
cause drastic changes in a country's business
environment that adversely affects the profit and other
goals of a business enterprise
2. Economic risk - the likelihood that economic
mismanagement will cause drastic changes in a country's
business environment that adversely affects the profit and
other goals of a business enterprise
3. Legal risk - the likelihood that a trading partner will
opportunistically break a contract or expropriate
property rights

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 How Can Managers Determine A
Market’s Overall Attractiveness?
vThe overall attractiveness of a country as a
potential market and/or investment site for an
international business depends on balancing the
benefits, costs, and risks associated with doing
business in that country
vOther things being equal, the benefit-cost-risk
trade-off is likely to be most favorable in
politically stable developed and developing
nations that have free market systems and no
dramatic upsurge in either inflation rates or
private sector debt

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 Review Question
Which is not a primary determinant of a
nation’s rate of economic development?

a) its political system

b) its economic system
c) its geography
d) its currency

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 True or False?
vIt is possible to have a totalitarian state that is
hostile to collectivism and where some degree of
individualism is encouraged. True or False?

vMost modern democratic states practice

representative democracy. True or False?

vJudges under a civil law system have less flexibility

than those under a common law system. True or
False?
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vThere is a strong relationship between
economic freedom and economic growth.
True False ?
vSince the 1980s, the political economy of
many nations has seen a shift away from
centrally planned and mixed economies
toward more free market economic models.
True False

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vToday, global changes in the political
economy are characterized by free markets
and democracy, with command economies
and totalitarian dictatorships having
completely disappeared.
True False ?

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