Economic research and trade policy analysis
Global Value Chain Development Report
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.
WTO Agreements & Public Health
This joint study by the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization Secretariat on the relationship between trade rules and public health. The study explains how WTO Agreements relate to different aspects of health policies. It is meant to give a better insight into key issues for those who develop communicate or debate policy issues related to trade and health. The study covers areas such as drugs and intellectual property rights food safety tobacco and many other issues which have been subject to passionate debate. In this joint effort the first of its kind WHO and the WTO Secretariat endeavour to set out the facts.
Informe Sobre el Comercio Mundial 2006
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.
Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2010
El Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2010 se centra en el comercio de recursos naturales como los combustibles y los productos forestales mineros y pesqueros. En él se examinan las características del comercio de recursos naturales las políticas por las que pueden optar los gobiernos y el papel de la cooperación internacional en particular de la OMC en la buena gestión del comercio en este sector.
Rapport sur le Commerce Mondial 2018
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
“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.
¿Pueden las cadenas de bloques revolucionar el comercio internacional?
El progreso tecnológico siempre ha condicionado el comercio. En los últimos años muchos observadores han saludado la aparición de una nueva tecnología las cadenas de bloques como el nuevo factor que transformará de manera radical el panorama comercial. ¿Pueden las cadenas de bloques revolucionar el comercio internacional? El objetivo de la presente publicación es desmitificar el fenómeno de las cadenas de bloques aportando una explicación básica de esta tecnología. En el documento se analiza la importancia que tiene esta tecnología para el comercio internacional indicando cómo se utiliza en la actualidad y cómo podría llegar a utilizarse en diversas esferas abarcadas por las normas de la OMC. Del análisis se desprende en qué medida podría la adopción de esta tecnología afectar al comercio transfronterizo de mercancías y servicios y a los derechos de propiedad intelectual. El documento examina las posibilidades que ofrecen las cadenas de bloques para reducir los costes del comercio y mejorar la transparencia en las cadenas de suministro así como las oportunidades que brinda a los pequeños productores y las pequeñas empresas. Por último el documento repasa los distintos retos que es necesario superar para que la tecnología pueda utilizarse a gran escala e incidir de manera significativa en el comercio internacional.
Dictionary of Trade Policy Terms, 6th Edition
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.
Can blockchain revolutionize international trade?
Trade has always been shaped by technological innovation. In recent times a new technology Blockchain has been greeted by many as the next big game-changer. Can Blockchain revolutionize international trade? This publication seeks to demystify the Blockchain phenomenon by providing a basic explanation of the technology. It analyses the relevance of this technology for international trade by reviewing how it is currently used or can be used in the various areas covered by WTO rules. In doing so it provides an insight into the extent to which this technology could affect cross-border trade in goods and services and intellectual property rights. It discusses the potential of Blockchain for reducing trade costs and enhancing supply chain transparency as well as the opportunities it provides for small-scale producers and companies. Finally it reviews various challenges that must be addressed before the technology can be used on a wide scale and have a significant impact on international trade.
GATT Disputes: 1948-1995 - Dispute Settlement Procedures (Vol. 2)
GATT disputes: 1948-1995 (Volume 2) compiles documents regarding dispute settlement procedures under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1947 and other selected documents. It complements Volume 1 which provides a comprehensive overview of dispute settlement activities under the GATT 1947 and a one-page case summary for each of the 316 disputes brought by GATT contracting parties from 1948 to 1995 when the GATT was superseded by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The two volumes offer insights into the evolution of dispute settlement under the GATT 1947 which served as the foundation for the Dispute Settlement Understanding created by the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the WTO.
Supply Chain Perspectives and Issues
Global value chains (GVCs) have become ubiquitous. The literature that attempts to understand and explain GVCs is vast multidisciplinary and no less complex than the phenomenon itself. This volume is an ambitious attempt at a fairly comprehensive review of literature on the subject.
WTO Domestic Regulation and Services Trade
Domestic regulation of services sectors has a significant impact on services trade liberalization which is why General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) disciplines are negotiated in the WTO. With the help of analyses and case-studies from academics regulators and trade experts this book explores the scope and limits of WTO legal principles to promote domestic regulatory reform. Case-studies discuss country-specific challenges and experiences of regulating important service sectors such as finance telecommunications distribution legal education health postal and logistics services as well as the role of regulatory impact assessments. The findings will interest trade officials policy-makers regulators think tanks and businesses concerned with the implications of domestic regulation on access to services markets and with the opportunities for formulating trade disciplines in this area. It is also a useful resource for academics and students researching regulatory approaches and practices in services sectors.
World Trade Report 2006
The annual World Trade Report focuses on trade policy issues - the core topic addressed in 2006 is subsidies. The Report also takes a look at recent trade developments and examines a range of trade topics including trade in textiles and clothing flows of international receipts and payments of royalties and license fees trends in the trade of least-developed countries and the impact of natural disasters and terrorist acts on international trade flows. The World Trade Report is useful for policymakers and for any individuals or groups interested in global trade policy.
Tariff Negotiations and Renegotiations under the GATT and the WTO
The procedures and practices to implement the provisions relating to tariff negotiations and renegotiations have evolved considerably since the GATT was established in 1947. The provisions themselves have undergone some changes in the last fifty-four years. Professor Hoda reviews the evolution of these provisions and of the procedures adopted and practices followed by the contracting parties to GATT 1947 and the Members of the WTO. He goes on to offer some conclusions and recommendations. This book will be of particular interest to negotiators including Geneva based delegations members of government trade ministries economists and all academics who specialise in trade policy.
World Trade Report 2010
The World Trade Report 2010 focuses on trade in natural resources such as fuels forestry mining and fisheries. The Report examines the characteristics of trade in natural resources the policy choices available to governments and the role of international cooperation particularly of the WTO in the proper management of trade in this sector. A key question is to what extent countries gain from open trade in natural resources. Some of the issues examined in the Report include the role of trade in providing access to natural resources the effects of international trade on the sustainability of natural resources the environmental impact of resources trade the so-called natural resources curse and resource price volatility. The Report examines a range of key measures employed in natural resource sectors such as export taxes tariffs and subsidies and provides information on their current use. It analyzes in detail the effects of these policy tools on an economy and on its trading partners. Finally the Report provides an overview of how natural resources fit within the legal framework of the WTO and discusses other international agreements that regulate trade in natural resources. A number of challenges are addressed including the regulation of export policy the treatment of subsidies trade facilitation and the relationship between WTO rules and other international agreements.
World Trade Report 2019
Services have become the most dynamic component of global trade with an increasingly important role in the global economy and in everyday life. Yet the extent of services’ contribution to global trade is not always fully understood. The World Trade Report 2019 attempts to remedy this by examining how trade in services is evolving and why services trade matters.
Trade Multilateralism in the 21st Century
Trade multilateralism in the twenty-first-century century faces a serious test as weakness in the global economy and fast-paced technological changes create a challenging environment for world trade. This book examines how an updated and robust rules-based multilateral framework anchored in the WTO remains indispensable to maximizing the benefits of global economic integration and to reviving world trade. By examining recent accessions to the WTO it reveals how the growing membership of the WTO has helped to support domestic reforms and to strengthen the rules-based framework of the WTO. It argues that the new realities of the twenty-first century require an upgrade to the architecture of the multilateral trading system. By erecting its 'upper floors' on the foundation of existing trade rules the WTO can continue to adapt to a fast-changing environment and to maximize the benefits brought about by its ever-expanding membership.
La chaîne de blocs peut-elle révolutionner le commerce international ?
Le commerce a toujours été façonné par l’innovation technologique. Ces derniers temps une nouvelle technologie la chaîne de blocs a été accueillie par beaucoup comme le prochain grand facteur de changement. La chaîne de blocs peut-elle révolutionner le commerce international ? Cette publication tente de démythifier le phénomène de la chaîne de blocs en fournissant une explication de base de cette technologie. Elle analyse sa pertinence pour le commerce international en examinant comment elle est actuellement utilisée ou peut être utilisée dans les différents domaines couverts par l’OMC. Ce faisant elle donne une idée de la mesure dans laquelle cette technologie pourrait affecter le commerce transfrontières des biens et des services et les droits de propriété intellectuelle. Elle examine le potentiel de la chaîne de blocs de réduire les coûts du commerce et d’améliorer la transparence de la chaîne d’approvisionnement et les possibilités qu’elle offre aux petits producteurs et aux petites entreprises. Enfin elle passe en revue les divers défis qui doivent être relevés pour que cette technologie puisse être utilisée à grande échelle et ait un impact important sur le commerce international.
World Trade Report 2018
Trade has always been shaped by technology but the rapid development of digital technologies in recent times has the potential to transform international trade profoundly in the years to come. The World Trade Report 2018 examines how digital technologies – and in particular the Internet of Things artificial intelligence 3D printing and Blockchain – affect trade costs the nature of what is traded and the composition of trade. It estimates how global trade may be affected by these technologies over the next 15 years.