ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to examine recent economic developments in the periphery of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Free Trade Area (NAFTA) by concentrating on both theoretical and empirical considerations. The theoretical aspects spring from, but go beyond, the model which has come to be known as Fordism and its variant Peripheral Fordism. The empirical aspects evolve around a close study of the experiences of both the EU and NAFTA.
