Economic research and trade policy analysis

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