The impact of increased levels of international trade on domestic labor markets is a central issue for policy makers in both developed and less developed countries. Models of Unemployment in Trade and Economic Development considers the most significant current issues in this area within the context of models which examine the relationship between trade and unemployment.

Divided into three sections, the book first examines unemployment, decay and "Dutch Disease." Later sections address structural adjustment, urban unemployment, protectionism, and various models of unemployment. The authors offer persuasive arguments that include the following: minimum wages cause decay rather than growth; disaggregation of non-traded goods between urban and rural regions is of critical importance in structural adjustment, protectionism, and the real exchange rate.

Hazari and Sgro also use segmented labor market theory to illuminate urban and disguised unemployment. They emphasize the importance of agricultural policies for rural development and provide a lucid introduction to the impact of technology transfers on employment in both donor and recipient countries.