Economic research and trade policy analysis
Kenya
It is almost axiomatic that trade policies of a country affect in one way or another many sectors of that country and those of its trading partners. In other words the impact of trade policy quite often goes beyond the participating countries or the direct beneficiaries be they producers or consumers. One would have thought therefore that in line with the principle that the governed must have a voice on matters that affect them there would be no decision agreement treaty convention or protocol on trade signed without the input of the governed. This however is often not the case. Thus despite the increasing and widening of democratic space in most African countries trade policy-making in many of these countries is still shrouded in mystery secrecy and mainly the preserve of the executive branch of government. This situation persists even though most African governments have over the last fifteen years or so tended to embrace participatory planning which should enlist non-state actors (NSAs) policy-making. Thus in trade policy-making NSAs often remain at the periphery of decision-making. One reason for this situation could be that consultation forums where these exist are perhaps deliberately limited in numbers and scope of action and therefore do not carry much weight.
The Accession of Kazakhstan: Dealing with Complexity
The negotiations on the accession of Kazakhstan to the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded in 2015 were unique in the history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the WTO. This uniqueness was reflected in: (i) the complexity of the accession due to its technical substance and geopolitical aspects; (ii) the significant expansion of market access achieved in the process which is unusual in multilateral negotiations; (iii) the resultant update of the rules in line with GATT Article XXIV related to customs unions and free trade areas; and (iv) the unprecedented involvement and dedication of Kazakhstan’s officials guided by President Nazarbayev of WTO members and the WTO Secretariat and personally of WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo. The negotiations were essentially a moving target as they took place at the same time as the Customs Union between Belarus Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation was evolving into the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The critical elements of the accession were Kazakhstan’s commitments on technical barriers to trade (TBT) sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) and on market access for goods – essentially the behind-the-border issues. Notwithstanding the complexities and the bilateral and regional mechanics of the negotiations the Kazakh case demonstrates that the WTO accession process has had practical utility even in a geopolitically challenging and technically complex environment. Accessions continue to contribute to the strategic objective of a universal membership by updating trade rules encouraging market access expansion and strengthening the rule of law. The accession of Kazakhstan thus confirms the WTO’s relevance in an ever more complex global economic and trade policy environment.
The impact of trade on women in their different roles
The increase in trade since the 1990s has reshaped the global economyleading to higher living standards and lower poverty particularly in developing countriesbut has come with costs such as job displacement. It has expanded opportunities for women and led to changes in their role in society but the channels through which trade affects gender inequality are not well understood.
Mobile money services provision in East Africa: The Ugandan experience
Services constitute a major and growing sector of Uganda’s economy in terms of its contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) exports and employment. Uganda’s Service Sector Export Strategy of 2005 has also identified information and communications technology (ICT) services as a priority. Similar to the situation in many least developed countries (LDCs) Uganda’s services sector is liberal. Specific General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitments have been undertaken on both telecommunications and financial services. There is a high degree of foreign ownership in Uganda’s financial and telecommunications sectors. In the financial sector eighteen of the twenty-five commercial banks licensed in 2012 were foreign owned. In the telecommunications subsector six of the seven operational mobile operators are foreign owned. In addition this subsector has expanded rapidly in recent years with respect to domestic and foreign-owned mobile service providers (MSPs) the number of mobile subscriptions and the emergence of non-voice services such as mobile money. Once established in Uganda foreign and local suppliers of financial or telecommunications services are subject to the same regulatory and supervisory procedures.
Globalization, offshoring and jobs
The labour market consequences of globalization in general and offshoring in particular have been hotly debated in recent public discussions and academia in particular in industrialized countries. One of the reasons for this may be illustrated with reference to the World Investment Report 2004 (UNCTAD 2004) which provides examples of recent offshoring cases in services industries in the United Kingdom and the employment changes involved. Barclays Bank for instance is reported to have offshored 500 back-office staff to India. When such numbers are picked up in the media there is a presumption that 500 jobs have been destroyed in the United Kingdom as a net effect of this offshoring. In fact the calculation is of course more complicated.
Politique commerciale et ressources naturelles
Cette section examine comment les gouvernements tiennent compte des caractéristiques particulières des ressources naturelles. Elle examine notamment comment la répartition inégale des ressources incite les pays importateurs et des pays exportateurs à recourir à des mesures commerciales restrictives et à des mesures intérieures pour «capter» la rente monopolistique. Elle analyse la façon dont les gouvernements peuvent utiliser des restrictions au commerce et des mesures intérieures pour renforcer les droits de propriété ou limiter l’exploitation de la ressource. Elle examine aussi les mesures que les gouvernements peuvent prendre pour amener producteurs et consommateurs à tenir compte du coût social de leurs activités lorsque la consommation ou l’extraction d’une ressource naturelle affecte l’environnement. Toutefois le recours à des mesures commerciales et à des mesures intérieures a des conséquences pour les partenaires commerciaux à travers la modification des termes de l’échange. Dans certains cas l’importance de la rente tirée des ressources fait que le gouvernement peut être pris en otage par des groupes d’intérêts impliqués dans l’extraction et le commerce des ressources naturelles. Enfin cette section examine comment la coopération commerciale régionale peut aider à atténuer ou surmonter les risques de friction liés aux ressources naturelles.
L’économie quantitative dans le règlement des différends à l’omc
Le règlement des différends à l’OMC continue de faire l’objet d’études approfondies de la part des praticiens du commerce international aussi bien que des universitaires. Il n’est nullement étonnant que l’essentiel de cette analyse ait un caractère juridique et concerne les divers arguments avancés par les parties aux différends et les fondements juridiques à partir desquels ces différends sont tranchés. Alors que les questions de droit et de procédure restent du domaine des juristes spécialisés dans le commerce international les économistes sont de plus en plus sollicités pour les questions qui demandent une interprétation ou une quantification économique. Ce n’est guère surprenant si l’on sait que les règles commerciales multilatérales correspondent à des principes économiques essentiels tels que l’avantage comparatif et que bon nombre de dispositions des Accords de l’OMC qui jouent un rôle important dans le règlement des différends ont un fondement économique. Cela tient peut-être aussi au fait qu’un nombre croissant de différends arrivent actuellement à la phase de la mise en oeuvre au cours de laquelle les arbitres doivent quantifier le niveau de rétorsion admissible comme on l’expliquera plus loin.
Avant-propos
Le commerce a permis de relever les niveaux de vie de milliards de personnes parmi lesquelles beaucoup de femmes. De nombreuses données empiriques attestent des retombées positives des échanges commerciaux pour la productivité la concurrence les revenus la baisse des prix et le bien-être social. La pandémie de COVID-19 a cependant montré que les échanges pouvaient être gravement perturbés. Dans ce contexte de crise les femmes risquent de perdre une partie des gains économiques obtenus grâce au commerce. La coopération est donc essentielle afin de préserver les conditions nécessaires à une reprise rapide et de promouvoir un commerce plus inclusif et plus durable pour l’avenir.
Overview of output and price developments in 2009-10
World GDP growth turned sharply negative in 2009 for the first time since the 1930s dropping to - 2.3 per cent from 1.6 per cent in 2008. Both years were well below the 2000-08 average of 3.0 per cent. Although the contraction in output started in the developed economies in the fourth quarter of 2008 it accelerated in the first half of 2009 and eventually affected all countries and regions to varying degrees. However many developing countries only experienced slower GDP growth rather than absolute declines in output.
Introduction
There is a shared sense that globalization is a powerful engine that has already contributed to lifting many out of poverty and that if properly harnessed could further promote growth and development to the benefit of all. For many years however concerns have been raised regarding certain effects of globalization on jobs wages and job insecurity. Recent survey evidence in European countries for instance indicates that in most countries a majority of respondents believe that globalization provides opportunities for economic growth but increases social inequalities. A German Marshall Fund (2007) survey shows that about half of Americans and Europeans think that “freer trade” results in more job loss than job creation. Globalization has also been blamed for the recent financial crisis and its effects on employment.
Information communications technology: The Mauritian experience of regulation and reform
This chapter presents the evolution of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in Mauritius and the advances made in defining clear institutional policy legal and regulatory frameworks which have positively influenced trade in the ICT services. The case study analyses the pre-existing conditions that facilitated competition in telecommunications thus paving the way to making ICT a key pillar for the development of the Mauritian economy through its Cyber Island Strategy. The study also reviews the prominent role played by the sector ministry and the ICT regulator in fostering widespread application of modern technologies and reporting on the ensuing economic benefits for the country.
Resumen ejecutivo
En la primera sección del Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial 2004 se examinan la evolución reciente de la estructura el valor y el volumen del comercio internacional de bienes y servicios y las perspectivas del comercio para 2004. Se analizan también las preferencias no recíprocas el movimiento internacional de personas proveedoras de servicios y las indicaciones geográficas. En la segunda sección se examina el tema de la coherencia de las políticas subrayando la importancia de las políticas nacionales complementarias para que la liberalización del comercio pueda reportar mayores beneficios a la sociedad. Se centra en cuatro importantes esferas de la formulación de las políticas económicas: i) macroeconomía; ii) situación en materia de infraestructura y servicios de infraestructura en particular en esferas estrechamente relacionadas con las actividades comerciales (transporte telecomunicaciones servicios financieros y servicios prestados a las empresas); iii) estructura de los mercados haciendo especial hincapié en el nivel de competencia y la existencia de externalidades (factores externos); y iv) calidad de las instituciones. En la última parte de esta segunda sección del Informe se estudia la dimensión internacional de la coherencia y se determina la función de la cooperación internacional en apoyo de la formulación de políticas coherentes a nivel nacional especialmente en la esfera de la política comercial.