Economic research and trade policy analysis

International trade is integral to the process of globalization. Over many years, governments in most countries have increasingly opened their economies to international trade, whether through the multilateral trading system, increased regional cooperation or as part of domestic reform programmes. Trade and globalization more generally have brought enormous benefits to many countries and citizens. Trade has allowed nations to benefit from specializa Read More

The World Trade Report is a new annual publication produced by the WTO Secretariat. Each year, the WTR will explore trends in world trade and highlight important issues in the world trading system. In addition to monitoring and interpreting trade developments, the Report seeks to deepen public understanding of pressing policy issues. The WTR does not pretend to provide comprehensive answers to complex and many-sided questions subject to continuin Read More

This is a critical year in the world’s collaborative effort to end global poverty and boost the incomes of the poorest. We will endorse the Sustainable Development Goals, develop a plan for financing for development, and reach for a landmark agreement to mitigate and adapt to climate change. If we are to end extreme poverty by 2030, we must do all we can in this final push to raise the incomes of the extreme poor. The Role of Trade in Ending Po Read More

El comercio Sur-Sur se ha promovido desde hace mucho tiempo como medio de reducir la dependencia de los países en desarrollo respecto de los mercados de los países desarrollados y de aumentar la diversificación de las exportaciones del Sur para que éstas no se limiten a productos primarios. La mayoría de los mecanismos creados para fomentar la cooperación entre los países en desarrollo eran principalmente de alcance subregional y regional, y mu Read More

La croissance économique sans précédent du dernier quart de siècle s’est nécessairement accompagnée d’un changement économique sans précédent.

WTO members are frequently referred to as “countries”, although some members are not countries in the usual sense of the word but are officially “customs territories”. The definition of geographical and other groupings in this report does not imply an expression of opinion by the WTO Secretariat concerning the status of any country or territory, the delimitation of its frontiers, nor the rights and obligations of any WTO member in respect of WTO agreemen Read More

This chapter provides a case study tracing the impact of domestic regulation on market structure in the retail distribution services sector and its ultimate effects on consumer food prices. Taking Israel, a small and relatively liberalized Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economy, as an example, our research investigates whether market concentration and the absence of international competition can be attributed to domest Read More

It is a central premise of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that trade drives growth and development. By liberalizing trade, countries benefit not only from increased access to technology and consumer goods but also from the chance to find new markets and connect to global value chains. This can quickly translate into GDP growth and a rise in the standard of living. But why do some countries seem to benefit more – and more quickly – than others? Read More

Dans la présente section, on examinera la manière dont la normalisation et l’évaluation de la conformité fonctionnent dans la pratique et les caractéristiques pertinentes des infrastructures mises en place à cet effet dans différentes régions du monde. On considérera tout d’abord le processus de normalisation: les endroits où il a lieu, la manière dont il est organisé et ses protagonistes. On étudiera ensuite, dans la sous-section 2, l’organisation de l’évaluation Read More

This report was made possible thanks to the funding of the Swedish Government.

El objetivo del presente informe es mejorar la comprensión de los efectos del comercio y de la política comercial en la igualdad de género y facilitar a los responsables de la formulación de políticas datos sobre los beneficios que el comercio entraña para las mujeres, así como posibles soluciones de política. El informe se sirve de un marco conceptual que muestra los distintos canales de transmisión a través de los cuales el comercio y la política comerci Read More

As in many developing countries, the telecommunications services sector in China has for a long time been monopolized by the state through the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication (MPT). Established in 1949, the MPT is not only the regulator of telecommunications services, but also the sole owner and operator. Not surprisingly, such monopoly has resulted in the slow growth of the sector. However, such slow growth did not cause major problems Read More

There are different ways to analyze the global economy. One is to view it through the lens of growth and structural change in individual economies, developed and developing. A second is to use the lens of global value chains (GVCs), the complex network structure of flows of goods, services, capital and technology across national borders. Both are useful and they are complementary to one another.

Le système commercial mondial a toujours été façonné par le progrès technologique. Non seulement la technologie est un déterminant des coûts du commerce, mais encore elle définit quels produits peuvent faire l’objet d’échanges transfrontières et elle influe sur les profils d’avantage comparatif.

Tajikistan was part of the Great Silk Road, a system of caravan routes connecting Eurasian countries between the second century BC and the fifteenth century AD. The development of trade throughout Central Asia encouraged the people of this region to adapt to the demands and requirements of consumers thousands of kilometres away, both in western Europe and in China. Tajikistan’s principal rationale for seeking WTO membership was t Read More

Forms of collective action and balanced commitment through negotiations were the foundation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the structure for its daily work. These remain at the centrepiece of work in the WTO, in a system structured on the balance of rights and obligations. GATT contracting parties established the principles of balance and reciprocity, trade liberalisation and a system of mediation and dispute settlement for Read More

En la presente sección se examinan las características fundamentales del comercio de recursos naturales desde una perspectiva teórica. ¿Constituye el comercio un mecanismo eficiente para garantizar el acceso a los recursos naturales? ¿Qué efectos tiene el comercio en los recursos finitos o agotables, incluso en condiciones de “acceso libre”, en que los recursos naturales son de propiedad y acceso comunes? ¿Tiene el comercio efectos en el me Read More

The WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) was launched in 2010 as a capacity-building project. It aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of the trading system among academics and policy makers in developing countries through curriculum development, research and outreach activities by universities and research institutions. Information on the WCP is available at www.wto.org/wcp.

Any views given in this dictionary on WTO agreements, provisions, panel and Appellate Body reports, or any other information provided by the WTO, are the sole responsibility of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of WTO Members, the WTO Secretariat or the Appellate Body. As such, the definitions in this dictionary do not constitute authoritative interpretations of the legal texts of the WTO. They are presented for illustrative purposes only.