ABSTRACT
This chapter shows both the European Union's 1992 program and the states' concern for their role in the international economy are both symptoms and components of a new era of global capitalism. It addresses the role of European trade in the economies of the individual US states and regions and of the potential impacts of European Community-92 (EC-92) upon these economies. The economic impacts of the EC-92 program on the individual states may occur through the formers' impacts on both trade and investment. The involvement of state agencies in international trade concerns amounts to an additional dimension to regional development planning that has itself been largely transplanted from the federal to the state level. A great deal of attention has been given to the contribution of international trade, and especially exports, to state and regional economies. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
