Gottfried Haberler · 1940
Haberler’s brief review of Heinrich Heuser’s book balances praise for its unusually comprehensive treatment of newer trade controls with a precise account of its limits. Its subject is import quotas and exchange control, including bilateral quota, clearing, and payment agreements; comprehensiveness within this field does not mean an exhaustive account of trade planning.
The broad questions of planning of international trade as a whole which are raised not only by the Russian but also by the German system are not discussed.
This distinction sets the scope of Haberler’s endorsement. He values Heuser chiefly for assembling evidence about particular regulatory instruments, not for explaining the organization of international trade as a whole.
The book is mainly descriptive and contains very valuable material which otherwise is not easily available.
Haberler traces three parts: the motives and causes behind quantitative restrictions and exchange controls; their operation across countries, including quota allocation through autonomous and bilateral methods; and their results, with a theory of quantitative import control using ordinary demand and supply curves. His account thus distinguishes the book’s substantial descriptive contribution from its more limited theoretical component.
The review closes by identifying its practical relevance to teaching international trade and commercial policy. Haberler’s reservation concerns presentation: more careful editing and more systematic subdivisions would have made this scarce material easier to use. The judgment is favorable, but bounded by the book’s analytical scope and organization.
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