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International trade and UK de-industrialisation

International trade and UK de-industrialisation
International trade and UK de-industrialisation
The past 25 years have been characterised by a surge in international trade as economies have become increasingly inter-linked. In many advanced economies this surge has been associated with increased import competition from low-wage economies. This paper explores the effects of such competition on manufacturing jobs in the UK. We consider two developments that influenced the nature of international trade: the ascendency of China as an important player in global markets and the accession to the European Union of a number of Eastern European economies in 2004. Both of these changes were associated with a shift in trade regimes and led to a sharp rise in import competition in particular UK manufacturing sectors. We find that these changes are likely to have hastened the decline of UK manufacturing.
0027-9501
R3 - R13
Foliano, F.
323e8871-4b9f-4a78-b22f-39f4e46eca39
Riley, Rebecca
6bf3e9bb-a646-418b-a648-e65a01db8e90
Foliano, F.
323e8871-4b9f-4a78-b22f-39f4e46eca39
Riley, Rebecca
6bf3e9bb-a646-418b-a648-e65a01db8e90

Foliano, F. and Riley, Rebecca (2017) International trade and UK de-industrialisation. National Institute Economic Review, 242, R3 - R13. (doi:10.1177/002795011724200110).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The past 25 years have been characterised by a surge in international trade as economies have become increasingly inter-linked. In many advanced economies this surge has been associated with increased import competition from low-wage economies. This paper explores the effects of such competition on manufacturing jobs in the UK. We consider two developments that influenced the nature of international trade: the ascendency of China as an important player in global markets and the accession to the European Union of a number of Eastern European economies in 2004. Both of these changes were associated with a shift in trade regimes and led to a sharp rise in import competition in particular UK manufacturing sectors. We find that these changes are likely to have hastened the decline of UK manufacturing.

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Published date: 1 November 2017

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 509897
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/509897
ISSN: 0027-9501
PURE UUID: eff54907-c362-4aac-b19d-1df2488cb203
ORCID for F. Foliano: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0145-3434

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Date deposited: 10 Mar 2026 17:50
Last modified: 11 Mar 2026 03:13

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Contributors

Author: F. Foliano ORCID iD
Author: Rebecca Riley

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