Foregrounding the role of technology in the development of international trade, Strange discusses the difference between the theory of free trade and the actual patterns (and barriers) to international trade in the 1950s. This leads her to emphasise balance of payments problems linked to international monetary flows and political barriers to freer trade. Firmly arguing that expanding international trade will aid the poorest, Strange stresses the need for the rich countries to exploit their knowledge resources and allow manufacturing to progressively move to the under-developed areas of the international system.