Fabrizio De Filippis

Bargaining coalitions in the WTO agricultural negotiations

This paper aims to understand the structural features of bargaining coalitions in the Doha Round of the WTO. We provide an empirical assessment of the preferences of each negotiating actor considering general economics indicators, development levels, structure of agricultural sectors and trade policies. Bargaining coalitions are analysed by grouping countries using a cluster analysis procedure. The clusters are compared with existing coalitions in order to assess their degree of internal homogeneity as well as their common interests. Such a comparison allows the identification of possible defectors, i.e. countries that, according to their economic conditions and policies, seem to be relatively less committed to the positions of the coalition they join. In addition, the ex-post analysis of the counterfactual coalitions sheds light on the distance between different coalitions as well as between individual countries and the best alternative group available. Empirical results confirm our research hypothesis: clusters of structurally homogeneous countries well represent existing bargaining coalitions. In particular, the G-20 shows a high degree of internal coherence, which, in our framework, may provide a clue to the sustainability of this coalition and to its relevance in the Doha Round negotiations. Copyright 2007 The Authors Journal compilation Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2007 .

In Tandem for Cohesion? Synergies and Conflicts between Regional and Agricultural Policies of the European Union

Crescenzi, R., De Filippis, F. and Pierangeli, F. In tandem for cohesion? Synergies and conflicts between regional and agricultural policies of the European Union, Regional Studies. The paper analyses the financial allocations from the regional, rural development and agricultural policies of the European Union in order to assess their territorial coordination and synergies with the objective of territorial cohesion. Regression analysis is used to uncover the link between funds and territorial disadvantage for the 1994–2013 period. The analysis reveals that both coordination and compatibility with territorial cohesion have not always improved in response to major policy reforms. The territorial ‘vocation’ of overall community spending is weakly linked to its distribution among different policies, but it crucially depends upon appropriate ‘place-based’ allocation mechanisms.

Bargaining Coalitions in the Agricultural Negotiations of the Doha Round: Similarity of Interests or Strategic Choices? An Empirical Assessment

The paper aims at understanding the structural features of the bargaining coalitions in the Doha Round of the WTO. We provide an empirical assessment of the preferences of each negotiating actor looking at general economics indicators, development levels, structure of the agricultural sectors, and trade policies for agricultural products. Bargaining coalitions are analyzed by grouping countries through a cluster analysis procedure. The clusters are compared with existing coalitions, in order to assess their degree of internal homogeneity as well as their common interests. Such a comparison allows the detection of possible “defectors”, i.e. countries that according to their economic conditions and policies seem to be relatively less committed to the positions of the coalition they join.

L'Health check della Pac: uno sguardo d'insieme

The Cap Health check: an Overview - This article analyses the Cap Health check launched in November 2008, which completes the 2003 Fischler reform and defines the regulatory framework for agricultural policies up to 2013. It considers the key features of the Health check in terms of their innovative potential and capacity to prepare the Cap for future challenges, namely modulation, regionalization, article 68 support and, above all, completion of the process of total decoupling of support to European farmers. The evaluation is positive, although attention is drawn to the lack of long-period thinking on the decoupled payment system. In this respect discussion turns to various hypotheses regarding the aims and tools of long-period agricultural policies, to stimulate debate among experts and policy-makers.