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