Economic research and trade policy analysis

La principal publicación de investigación de la OMC en materia de política comercial mundial contiene temas especiales análisis y novedades.

The "World Trade Report" is an annual publication that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system.

WTO working papers usually represent research in progress. Such research may be conducted in the preparation of WTO Secretariat reports studies or other material for WTO members. The papers are circulated for comment because the WTO considers critical review of professional research to be extremely important.

The World Trade Report is a new annual WTO publication focused on trade trends and policy issues. The 2003 edition examines developments in South-South trade trends in commodity markets and the growth of Regional Trade Agreements.

One of the main objectives of this Report is to analyze whether WTO provisions provide a balance between supplying governments with necessary flexibility to face difficult economic situations and adequately defining them in a way that limits their use for protectionist purposes. In analysing this question the Report focuses primarily on contingency measures available to WTO members when importing and exporting goods. These measures include the use of safeguards such as tariffs and quotas in specified circumstances anti-dumping duties on goods that are deemed to be “dumped” and countervailing duties imposed to offset subsidies. The Report also discusses alternative policy options including the renegotiation of tariff commitments the use of export taxes and increases in tariffs up to their legal maximum ceiling or binding. The analysis includes consideration of legal economic and political economy factors that influence the use of these measures and their associated benefits and costs.

Los servicios se han convertido en el componente más dinámico del comercio mundial y desempeñan un papel cada vez más importante en la economía mundial y en la vida cotidiana. Sin embargo no siempre se valora plenamente su grado de contribución al comercio mundial. El Informe sobre el comercio mundial 2019 trata de colmar esta laguna utilizando un nuevo conjunto de datos elaborado por la OMC que tiene en cuenta las distintas formas de suministrar servicios a través de las fronteras. En el Informe se examina la evolución del comercio de servicios en los últimos años y el porqué de su importancia. Asimismo se analizan las principales tendencias que afectan al comercio de servicios en particular los cambios demográficos las tecnologías digitales el aumento de la renta y el cambio climático. También se ofrecen estimaciones sobre la posible evolución del comercio de servicios en los próximos 20 años y las perspectivas de una mayor cooperación internacional en las políticas relativas al comercio de servicios. El Informe muestra que los costos del comercio son más elevados para los servicios que para las mercancías si bien están disminuyendo como consecuencia de las tecnologías digitales. Se espera que esa reducción de los costos del comercio aumente la participación de los servicios en el comercio mundial y contribuya a un crecimiento y un desarrollo más inclusivos. Para que las economías puedan beneficiarse del mayor protagonismo que está adquiriendo el comercio de servicios será necesario intensificar la cooperación internacional.

This book explores the complex relationship between international trade and poverty reduction through a combination of research papers and contemporary case studies. Written mainly by developing-country authors in consultation with local businesses and communities the case studies contribute to our understanding of the ways in which low-income communities are dealing with trade as a practical challenge especially in the Asia-Pacific region where approximately two-thirds of the world’s poor live. While making it clear that there is no ‘one size fits all’ formula the research and stories highlight a number of necessary preconditions such as political commitment and cooperation at all levels if trade is to successfully reduce poverty. Openness to trade serious commitment to domestic reform trade-related capacity building a robust and responsible private sector and access to the markets of developed countries are all identified as powerful tools for building trade-related sustainable development.

El tema principal del Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2003 es el desarrollo. Al explicar el origen de esta cuestión y ofrecer un marco analítico para abordar la cuestión de la relación entre comercio y desarrollo se pretende que el Informe contribuya a un debate más informado y a una mejor apreciación de las distintas opciones disponibles para abordar los problemas de política.

Trade can dramatically improve women’s lives creating new jobs enhancing consumer choices and increasing women’s bargaining power in society. It can also lead to job losses and a concentration of work in low-skilled employment. Given the complexity and specificity of the relationship between trade and gender it is essential to assess the potential impact of trade policy on both women and men and to develop appropriate evidence-based policies to ensure that trade helps to enhance opportunities for all. Research on gender equality and trade has been constrained by limited data and a lack of understanding of the connections among the economic roles that women play as workers consumers and decision makers. Building on new analyses and new sex-disaggregated data Women and Trade: The Role of Trade in Promoting Gender Equality aims to advance the understanding of the relationship between trade and gender equality and to identify a series of opportunities through which trade can improve the lives of women.

Co-published by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

El comercio puede mejorar drásticamente la vida de las mujeres mediante la creación de nuevos puestos de trabajo el aumento de las posibilidades de elección de los consumidores y el fortalecimiento del poder de negociación de las mujeres en la sociedad. También puede dar lugar a pérdidas de empleo y a una concentración del trabajo en ocupaciones de baja cualificación. Habida cuenta de la complejidad y especificidad de la relación entre comercio y género es esencial evaluar las repercusiones que pueden tener las políticas comerciales tanto en las mujeres como en los hombres y elaborar políticas adecuadas y basadas en datos empíricos para garantizar que el comercio contribuya a crear mejores oportunidades para todos. La investigación sobre la igualdad de género y el comercio se ha visto constreñida por la escasez de datos y por una comprensión deficiente de la relación entre los papeles económicos que desempeñan las mujeres como trabajadoras consumidoras y responsables de la adopción de decisiones. Basado en nuevos análisis y nuevos datos desglosados por sexo el estudio titulado Las mujeres y el comercio: el papel del comercio en la promoción de la igualdad de género tiene por objeto avanzar en el conocimiento de la relación entre comercio e igualdad de género y determinar una serie de oportunidades que puede ofrecer el comercio para mejorar la vida de las mujeres.

This Guide to Trade Policy Analysis provides the main tools for the analysis of trade policy. Written by experts with practical experience in the field this publication outlines the major concepts of trade policy analysis and contains practical guidance on how to apply them to concrete policy questions.

Global trade has contributed strongly to reducing poverty but important challenges remain in making trade work for the poorest. This publication presents eight case studies to reveal how trade can help to reduce poverty in developing countries. It focuses on four constraints faced by the extremely poor – namely that they tend to live in rural areas work in the informal sector live in fragile and conflict-affected regions and face gender inequality. The case studies identify ways to overcome these constraints including through the adoption of policies that maximize the contribution of trade to poverty reduction. The studies also highlight the ongoing gaps in data and research that constrain policy-making. The publication is a follow-up to The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty co-published by the WTO and the World Bank in 2015 which examined the challenges the poor face in benefiting from trade opportunities. The country-specific approach of this new publication complements the global perspective of the previous report.

In the digital age a growing number of governments have adopted policies aimed at boosting growth through innovation and technological upgrading. The World Trade Report 2020 looks at these trends and at how trade and the WTO fit with them. A defining feature of government policies adopted in recent years has been their support of the transition towards a digital economy. Trade and trade policies have historically been important engines for innovation. In particular the multilateral trading system has contributed significantly to the global diffusion of innovation and technology by fostering predictable global market conditions and by underpinning the development of global value chains. As data become an essential input in the digital economy firms rely more on intangible assets than on physical ones and digital firms are able to reach global markets faster without the amount of physical investment previously necessary in other sectors. Success in the digital economy will depend on openness access to information and communication technology (ICT) goods and services collaboration on research projects and the diffusion of knowledge and new technology. The World Trade Report 2020 shows that there is a significant role for international cooperation to make the pursuit of digital development and technological innovation more effective while minimizing negative spill-overs from national policies. The WTO agreements reached a quarter of a century ago have proved to be remarkably forwardlooking in providing a framework that has favoured the development of ICT-enabled economies across all levels of development. Further international cooperation at the WTO and elsewhere would enable continued innovation and reduce trade tensions to help international markets function more predictably.

Les “subventions” sont le sujet central du rapport 2006 sur le commerce mondial. Les auteurs explorent ce champ d'action pour voir comment on peut définir les subventions ce que la théorie économique peut nous dire d'elles pourquoi les gouvernements y ont recours quels sont les secteurs qui en sont les principaux bénéficiaires et quel rôle l'Accord de l'OMC peut jouer pour les réglementer dans le contexte du commerce international.

The 2017 World Trade Report examines how technology and trade affect employment and wages. It analyses the challenges for workers and firms in adjusting to changes in labour markets and how governments can facilitate such adjustment to ensure that trade and technology are inclusive.

Asia’s economic success over the past four decades has been built on a strategy of export promotion coupled with trade opening. Poverty rates throughout the region have fallen dramatically especially in countries that have succeeded in integrating into regional or global value chains. However this economic success has been accompanied by structural changes such as the need for workers to change roles sectors and sometimes regions. Faced with increased foreign competition firms have been forced to reorganize and quickly adopt new technologies. Despite the importance of this adjustment process relatively little empirical evidence exists. This volume aims to close this gap by providing new insights into how Asia’s labor markets and firms have adjusted to trade opening. Written by leading trade economists with expertise in the region the publication shows that trade opening has led to a more efficient allocation of capital and labor but this has been accompanied by significant adjustment costs. The book sheds light on the effects of trade on workers and firms with the aim of improving understanding of the adjustment process and contributing to the debate on how to make globalization work for all.

One of the most pressing issues confronting the multilateral trade system is the challenge posed by the rapid proliferation of preferential trade agreements. Plenty has been written about why governments might choose to negotiate preferentially or multilaterally but until now it has been written almost exclusively from the perspective of governments. We know very little about how non-state actors view this issue of ‘forum choice' nor how they position themselves to influence choices by governments about whether to emphasize PTAs or the WTO. This book addresses that issue squarely through case studies of trade policy-making and forum choice in eight developing countries: Chile Colombia Mexico South Africa Kenya Jordan Indonesia and Thailand. The case studies are based on original research by the authors including interviews with state and non-state actors involved in the trade policy-making process in the eight countries of this study.

Trois questions importantes seront déterminantes pour l'avenir de l'OMC: le règlement des différends les négociations et l'intégration régionale. Le règlement des différends est généralement considéré comme l'un des succès majeurs de l'OMC durant ses dix premières années d'existence. La conclusion des négociations du Cycle de Doha est l'un de ses principaux défis. L'intégration régionale est désormais au premier plan du débat alors que les accords régionaux prolifèrent et que les décideurs et les universitaires prennent la mesure de leur incidence sur le système commercial multilatéral. Ces questions et leur interaction sont traitées par d'éminents spécialistes et professionnels du droit commercial international originaires d'Amérique du Nord d'Europe et de la région Asie Pacifique. En outre des sections spécifiques sont consacrées à la région Asie Pacifique à sa participation au règlement des différends et aux négociations dans le cadre de l'OMC et aux tendances récentes à une plus grande intégration régionale.AE1:AE10

This study focuses on the relationship between trade and the growth of the informal economy in developing countries. Based on existing academic literature complemented with new empirical research by the ILO and the WTO the study discusses how trade reform affects different aspects of the informal economy. It also examines how high rates of informal employment diminish the scope for developing countries to translate trade openness into sustainable long-term growth.

A radical shift is underway in global value chains as they increasingly move beyond traditional manufacturing processes to services and other intangible assets. Digitization is a leading factor in this transformation which is being accelerated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Global Value Chain Development Report 2021 the third of a biennial series explores this shift Beyond Production. This report shows how the rise of services value chains offers a new path to development and how protectionism and geopolitical tensions environmental risks and pandemics are undermining the stability of global value chains and forcing their reorganization geographically.

El tema principal del Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2006 son las “subvenciones”. En el Informe se examina esta esfera de políticas y se estudia la manera en que se definen las subvenciones qué es lo que puede decir la teoría económica acerca de ellas por qué los gobiernos las utilizan cuáles son los principales sectores en que se aplican las subvenciones y la función del Acuerdo sobre la OMC en la regulación de las subvenciones en el contexto del comercio internacional.

Le monde change à une incroyable vitesse et ce sous l’influence de nombreux facteurs y compris l’évolution des modes de production et de consommation l’innovation technologique permanente les nouvelles façons de faire du commerce et bien sûr la politique. Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2013 montre en quoi le commerce est à la fois une cause et un effet du changement et examine les facteurs qui façonnent l’avenir du commerce mondial.

“Investing in Skills for Inclusive Trade” co-published by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Labour Office (ILO) focuses on the linkages between trade and skills and between trade and skills development policies. The publication argues that in the fast-changing context of globalization where technology and trade relations evolve rapidly the responsiveness of skills supply to demand is particularly important. Given the role of skills in productivity and in trade performance as well as in access to employment and in wage distribution a strong emphasis on skills development is vital for both firms and workers. Drawing on the findings from relevant literature and from the ILO's Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) programme this publication shows that appropriate skills development policies are key to helping firms participate in trade and also to helping workers find good jobs.

The dictionary is an accessible guide to the vocabulary used in trade negotiations. It explains about 3000 terms and concepts in simple language. Its main emphasis is on the multilateral trading system represented by the agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition it covers many of the trade-related activities outcomes and terms used in other international organizations such as the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the OECD. The last decade has seen considerable attention devoted to trade and investment facilitation sustainability and the formation of free-trade areas in all parts of the world. This dictionary allocates generous space to the vocabulary associated with such developments. Additional areas covered include emerging trade issues and issues based particularly on developing-country concerns.