"Global free trade is one of the most controversial phenomena of our time. Supporters of economic liberalism believe that it will provide affluence for all regions of the globe; its critics view it as the driving force of increasing inequality, societal disorganization and ecological damage. Richard Munch offers a new theory of global labour division to explain deeper transformations in the production and distribution of wealth brought about by global free trade. He then carries out and analyzes empirical investigations based on this theory. Munch begins by elaborating his theory, outlining its dynamics of decreasing heterogeneity and inequality between nations, and increasing heterogeneity and inequality within nations. Subsequently, he focuses on the struggle to determine the rules of global trade, before concluding with an empirical analysis of the effects of world trade on economic development and inequality"--Back cover.