Publications
Publications
- April 1983 (Revised October 1990)
- HBS Case Collection
Textiles and the Multi-Fiber Arrangement
By: David B. Yoffie
Abstract
What happens to an industry with millions of employees that loses its comparative advantage? This note examines this question by looking at the global textile and apparel industry. With the Multi-Fiber Arrangement coming up for renewal in December 1981, the United States, Europe, and the developing world must decide how to divide the international textile market in the 1980s. The debate focuses on who wins and who loses from protectionism, and the advantages and disadvantages of free trade.
Keywords
Trade; Cost vs Benefits; Developing Countries and Economies; Manufacturing Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States; Europe
Citation
Yoffie, David B. "Textiles and the Multi-Fiber Arrangement." Harvard Business School Background Note 383-164, April 1983. (Revised October 1990.)