Economic research and trade policy analysis

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has exposed the upsides and downsides of international trade in medical goods and services. Open trade can increase access to medical services and goods—and the critical inputs needed to manufacture them—improve quality and variety, and reduce costs. However, excessive concentration of production, restrictive trade policies, supply chain disruptions, and regulatory divergence can jeopardize the ability of p Read More

Climate change is having a profound impact on people’s lives across the world. Mitigating and adapting to climate change will require major economic investment and coordinated action to transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy. The World Trade Report 2022 explores the complex interlinkages between climate change, international trade, and climate and trade policies. Although international trade generates greenhouse gas emissions wh Read More

In December 2022, the Gender Research Hub organized, alongside the WTO, the World Trade Congress on Gender – the first international research conference to focus on trade and gender. This high-level event brought together eminent trade and gender experts to present the latest research in the field. It also provided a platform for researchers and policymakers to exchange views and build partnerships to promote further innovative research. Th Read More

The WTO’s “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics” analyses recent global trade developments through the second quarter of 2023 and presents the organization’s updated forecasts for merchandise trade volume in 2023 and 2024. Developments in merchandise and commercial services trade in value terms are also shown, with breakdowns by sector and region. The report is timed to coincide with the release of the WTO’s latest quarterly and an Read More

This publication provides handy one-page summaries of the key findings of every dispute panel report issued up to the end of 2022 and the relevant Appellate Body reports issued over this period. Each one-page summary comprises the core facts, the key findings contained in the reports and any other matters of particular significance. Two indexes list the disputes by WTO agreement and by WTO member responding to the complaint.

Au cours des dernières décennies, le secteur des services a été la principale source de croissance économique. Si la logistique, la finance et les technologies de l'information jouent un rôle essentiel dans le fonctionnement des économies modernes, les services fournis aux entreprises, les soins de santé et les loisirs figurent parmi les secteurs dont la croissance est la plus forte au monde. Cette publication – publiée conjointement par la Banque mondiale et l'O Read More

World Tariff Profiles 2023 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. Tariff data are presented in comparative tables and in one-page profiles for each economy. A summary table on selected indicators on the imports and exports profile for these economies is also presented. Statistics on Read More

Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action, a publication by the WTO Secretariat, looks into the trade policies that governments could consider as part of their strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The publication covers ten policy areas where governments have introduced measures to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, improve the flow of climate-friendly goods and services, decarbonize supply chains, and build resilience t Read More

Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam – the so-called Mekong-3 - have experienced rapid trade growth over the last ten years. However, growth could be boosted even further by improving access to trade finance, such as loans and guarantees, for locally owned businesses seeking to trade globally. This publication presents the results of two surveys undertaken by the IFC to determine the level of trade finance available to busin Read More

El establecimiento del sistema multilateral de comercio hace más de siete decenios se basó en el entendimiento de que la interdependencia y la cooperación contribuyen a la paz y a la prosperidad compartida. Sin embargo, más recientemente, los nuevos desafíos, como las tensiones geopolíticas, el aumento de las desigualdades y el cambio climático, han suscitado temores de que la globalización expone a los países a riesgos excesivos. Estos temores han Read More

La présente publication contient des résumés pratiques, d’une page, des principales constatations de chaque rapport de groupe spécial publié jusqu’à la fin de 2022 et des rapports pertinents de l’Organe d’appel publiés pendant cette période. Chaque résumé d’une page comprend les faits principaux, les constatations clés contenues dans les rapports et d’autres points d’une importance particulière. Deux index énumèrent les différends par Accord Read More

El Examen estadístico del comercio mundial pasa revista a las tendencias más recientes del comercio mundial y analiza en profundidad qué se comercia y quiénes son los actores clave. Los capítulos analíticos se complementan con más de 65 cuadros en que se desglosan de forma detallada las mercancías y los servicios objeto de comercio y los principales exportadores e importadores.

Esta publicación contiene resúmenes útiles de una página de las principales constataciones contenidas en cada uno de los informes de los Grupos Especiales publicados hasta finales de 2022, así como en los informes correspondientes del Órgano de Apelación publicados en ese período. Cada resumen de una página se compone de los hechos fundamentales, las constataciones principales que figuran en los informes y otras cuestiones especialmente im Read More

The WTO’s “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics” analyses recent global trade developments up to the fourth quarter of 2023 and presents the organization’s forecasts for world trade in 2024 and 2025. Breakdowns of merchandise and commercial services trade by sector and region are provided, together with details on leading traders. The report is timed to coincide with the release of the WTO’s latest quarterly and annual trade statistics, which can be d Read More

Las “Perspectivas del comercio mundial y estadísticas” de la OMC analizan la evolución reciente del comercio mundial hasta el cuarto trimestre de 2023 y presentan las previsiones de la Organización sobre el comercio mundial en 2024 y 2025. Se proporcionan desgloses del comercio de mercancías y servicios comerciales por sectores y regiones, así como información detallada sobre los principales interlocutores comerciales. La publicación del informe c Read More

What is “digital trade” and how can it be measured and monitored to support policymakers in navigating the digital transformation of international commerce? Digital technologies have made it increasingly feasible for buyers and sellers to place and receive orders on a global scale. They also enable the instantaneous remote delivery of services directly into businesses and homes, including internationally. By focusing on these two criteria – digital o Read More

World Tariff Profiles 2024 provides comprehensive information on the tariffs and non-tariff measures imposed by over 170 countries and customs territories. The publication starts with a breakdown of the tariffs imposed by these economies. Tariff data are presented in comparative tables and in one-page profiles for each economy. A summary table on selected indicators on the imports and exports profile for these economies is also presented. Statistics on Read More

La publicación Perfiles arancelarios en el mundo 2024 ofrece información completa sobre las medidas arancelarias y no arancelarias impuestas por más de 170 países y territorios aduaneros. La publicación comienza con un desglose de los aranceles impuestos por esas economías. Los datos arancelarios se presentan en cuadros comparativos y en perfiles individuales de una página para cada economía. Se proporciona también un cuadro recapitulativ Read More

The WTO’s “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics” analyses recent global trade developments. Breakdowns of merchandise and commercial services trade by sector and region are provided, together with details on leading traders. The report is timed to coincide with the release of the WTO’s latest quarterly and annual trade statistics, which can be downloaded from the WTO’s online database at stats.wto.org.

The report of the Joint Task Force on Climate Action, Carbon Pricing, and Policy Spillovers, with participation by the IMF, OECD, UNCTAD, World Bank, and WTO, makes four main contributions. First, it reflects on a common understanding of carbon pricing metrics which inform on the incentives to decarbonize and on cross-country variation in carbon prices, a key determinant of international spillover effects and competitiveness concerns. Second, the re Read More

Cross‑border data flows are the lifeblood of today’s social and economic interactions, but they also raise a range of new challenges, including for privacy and data protection, national security, cybersecurity, digital protectionism and regulatory reach. This has led to a surge in regulation conditioning (or prohibiting) its flow or mandating that data be stored or processed domestically (data localisation). However, the economic implications of these measures ar Read More

Can the flow of goods, services, and ideas build bridges where conflict once prevailed? If so, under whatcircumstances? The World Trade Organization (WTO) stands for a predictable, rules-based system based on the principle of non-discrimination. When the predecessor to the WTO – the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade – was established some 70 years ago, conflict among nations was at an historic low, following World War II. In the changed global Read More

Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2020 a été établi sous la responsabilité générale de Xiaozhun Yi, Directeur général adjoint de l’OMC, et de Robert Koopman, Directeur de la Division de la recherche économique et des statistiques. La rédaction du Rapport a été coordonnée par Marc Auboin et Ankai Xu. Les auteurs du rapport sont Marc Auboin, Marc Bacchetta, Cosimo Beverelli, Eddy Bekkers, Kian Cassehgari Posada, Emmanuelle Ganne, John Han Read More

The US dollar value of world merchandise trade fell 23 per cent in 2009 to US$ 12.1 trillion, down from US$ 16.1 trillion in 2008. Some of this decline was due to changes in trade volumes, while much of the rest can be explained by falling commodity prices in 2009, particularly for oil. After rising to record levels in 2008, world crude oil prices plunged 37 per cent in 2009, from US$ 95 per barrel to US$ 60 per barrel on average. As a result, nominal trade deve Read More

Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial a été rédigé sous la supervision de Patrick Low, Directeur de la Division de la recherche économique et des statistiques. Ses principaux auteurs sont Bijit Bora, K. Michael Finger, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Patrick Low, Hildegunn Nordas, Roberta Piermartini et Robert Teh. Les données sur le commerce et les informations sur les droits de douane ont été fournies par les statisticiens de la Division de la recherche écon Read More

This chapter examines how enforcement of labour regulation shapes the labour market effects of trade. To do so, we focus on the early 1990s Brazilian trade liberalization episode, which was a unilateral and extensive tariff reduction process.

Air transport, like other transport services, is associated with international trade in two distinct ways. First, air transport is traded as a service in its own right. Second, it is a key intermediate service for many other kinds of trade, in the domain of both goods and services (such as tourism). Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of an efficient, effective and reliable air transport infrastructure, especially in developing countries, to ensure the mate Read More

This year’s World Trade Report explores the role of trade in a world characterized over the last several decades by increasing dependence among nations. This inter-dependency – what we all call globalization today – is a multi-layered and complex phenomenon involving intensive political, social and economic interaction nationally and internationally. Few would contest the benefits that globalization has brought in terms of greater prosperity for hundreds Read More

This report deals with the relevant WTO Agreements and the way they may influence health and health policies. In undertaking this joint study, the WHO and WTO Secretariats seek to examine the linkages between trade and health policies, so as to enable both trade and health officials to better understand and monitor the effects of these linkages.

This section focuses on how new technologies are transforming international trade, creating new opportunities for a more inclusive trading system and raising new challenges. The section opens with a discussion of how digital technologies affect international trade costs. This is followed by an assessment of how digital technologies change the nature of what is traded, how we trade and who trades what. Finally, the potential impact of important trends Read More

En esta sección se examinan datos empíricos sobre los efectos del comercio en los salarios y el empleo, y se plantean las siguientes cuestiones cruciales: ¿qué datos hay sobre la repercusión de la competencia de las importaciones y la deslocalización en los salarios y el empleo? ¿Cómo afectan al empleo un mayor acceso a los mercados de exportación y el abaratamiento de los insumos importados? ¿Cómo pueden compaginarse datos empíricos hete Read More

What have WTO accessions contributed to the rules-based multilateral trading system? What demands have been made by original WTO members on acceding governments? How have the acceding governments fared? This volume of essays offers critical readings on how WTO accession negotiations have expanded the reach of the multilateral trading system not only geographically but also conceptually, clarifying disciplines and pointing the way to t Read More

The reorganization of supply chains using advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and autonomous robotics, is transforming the model of supply chain management from a linear one, in which instructions flow from supplier to producer to distributor to consumer, and back, to a more integrated model in which information flows in an omnidirectional manner to the supply chain. While e-commerce is uniquely suit Read More

Research published by the European Parliament in 2017 claimed that Blockchain could “change our lives” (Boucher, 2017). What the various blockchain applications that are being developed in areas as diverse as trade finance, trade facilitation, trade in services, intellectual property and government procurement show is that Blockchain has the potential to impact both the traders and the government agencies involved in international trade sig Read More

The Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea) has been actively opening its markets since the early 1990s, making its first bilateral trade agreement with Chile effective from 3 April 2004. It has since arranged such agreements with 52 countries that now cover more than 77 per cent of the world’s GDP. Given the little progress made in multilateral negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda (DDA), much of the progress in market liberalization has tak Read More

Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial a été rédigé sous la supervision de Kipkorir Aly Aza Rana, Directeur général adjoint. Patrick Low, Directeur de la Division de la recherche économique et des statistiques a dirigé l’équipe chargée de la rédaction. Ses principaux auteurs sont Bijit Bora, Zdenek Drabek, K. Michael Finger, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Patrick Low, Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås, Roberta Piermartini et Robert Teh. Barbara d’Andrea, de la Division d Read More

En 2005, l’économie mondiale a progressé de 3,3 pour cent, taux plus faible qu’en 2004 mais quand même légèrement supérieur à la moyenne de la décennie. Dans la plupart des régions, la croissance économique est restée vigoureuse, bien qu’elle ait été moins forte que l’année précédente. Seule l’Europe a encore enregistré une faible croissance du PIB – inférieure de plus de moitié au taux observé en Amérique du Nord. Au Japon, en revan Read More

La présente section montre l’importance du commerce des services dans l’économie mondiale en s’appuyant sur un ensemble de données expérimental établi par l’OMC, appelé TISMOS (Trade in Services by Modes of Supply – Données sur le commerce des services par mode de fourniture). Cet ensemble de données rend compte des services fournis selon les quatre modes définis dans l’Accord général sur le commerce des services (AGCS) de l’OMC; le Read More

The World Trade Report 2008 was prepared under the general direction of Deputy Director-General Alejandro Jara. Patrick Low, Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division, led the team responsible for writing the Report. The principal authors of the Report were Marc Bacchetta, Chad Bown, K. Michael Finger, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Roberta Piermartini, Michele Ruta and Robert Teh. Trade statistics information was provided by the Read More

Informality is associated with increased vulnerability of countries to economic shocks. At the same time, informality raises the likelihood of being affected by (external) shocks. The combination of these two tendencies can create a vicious circle, weakening the long-term performance of a country, lowering the potential benefi ts it can derive from trade and reducing economic well-being. This chapter discusses how informal employment evolves over the Read More

Considéré comme un moyen de réduire la dépendance des pays en développement vis-à-vis des marchés des pays développés et de diversifier les exportations du Sud au-delà des seuls produits primaires, le commerce Sud-Sud est depuis longtemps encouragé. Pour l’essentiel, les mécanismes mis en place en vue de favoriser la coopération entre pays en développement ont pris la forme d’arrangements sous-régionaux ou régionaux de nature s Read More

Energy issues have not been systematically discussed by WTO members in the multilateral trading system. This is owing to the fact that there is no rule on energy per se in WTO agreements. Yet all tradable energy goods and services are covered by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 and the General Agreement on Trade in Services respectively. With energy security and climate change high on the global agenda, there is increasing inter Read More

Le formidable dynamisme de l’économie mondiale depuis un quart de siècle s’est accompagné de profonds bouleversements, ce qui n’est guère surprenant dans la mesure où les deux phénomènes sont étroitement liés. L’économie mondiale ne prospère que si la productivité augmente ; et la productivité n’augmente que si l’économie mondiale produit plus et mieux, de manière plus efficiente. Les préoccupations que la mondialisation suscite actuell Read More