Kati Suominen

Regional rules in the global trading system

1. Introduction Antoni Estevadeordal, Kati Suominen and Robert Teh 2. Big-think regionalism: a critical survey Richard Baldwin 3. Market access provisions in regional trade agreements Antoni Estevadeordal, Matthew Shearer and Kati Suominen 4. Trade remedy provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh, Thomas J. Prusa and Michele Budetta 5. A mapping of regional rules on technical barriers to trade Roberta Piermartini and Michele Budetta 6. Services liberalization in the new generation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs): how much further than the GATS? Martin Roy, Juan Marchetti and Hoe Lim 7. Mapping investment provisions in regional trade agreements: towards an international investment regime? Barbara Kotschwar 8. Competition provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh Appendix.

Rules of Origin in Preferential Trading Arrangements: Is All Well with the Spaghetti Bowl in the Americas?

Preferential trading arrangements (PTAs) have proliferated spectacularly over the past decade around the world. Countries in the Western Hemisphere have been particularly prolific builders of PTAs, forging in a veritable spaghetti bowl of multiple and often overlapping agreements. Rules of origin, a key arbitrator of market access in each of these PTAs, epitomize the hemisphere´s spaghetti bowl problem: a growing number of the region´s PTAs carry complex and restrictive rules of origin, and the many rules-of-origin regimes differ from each other. As a result, rules of origin can undercut the trade-creating potential of the region´s hard-earned PTAs. The purpose of this paper is to present an in-depth diagnosis of rules-of-origin regimes in the Americas, and to offer policy recommendations for the region to counter the potential negative effects of rules of origin.

The Changing Anatomy of Regional Trade Agreements in East Asia

The recent proliferation of regional trade agreements in the East Asian region can be seen as the most notable development in the regions trading panorama in recent years. Yet, very little is as yet understood about the anatomy of these agreements and, consequently, their full implications to the regional economy. This article strives to fill this gap by analyzing the structure of four dozen RTAs by their various key component parts, including tariff liberalization schedules, rules of origin, and competition policy, customs, investment, and services provisions. The results reveal that intra-Asian RTAs are generally quite rapidly liberalizing, with the exception of agriculture, but they are also quite thin in trade-related disciplines when compared with the more legalistic US trans-Pacific RTAs and those of Mexico and Chile. The proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific would inherently be a construct of the political economy interests of these various constituent RTAs.

Economic Integration in the Americas: An Unfinished Agenda

While the Doha Round negotiations have been at a standstill, countries have continued to engage in external trade by pursing regional and bilateral trade agreements. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Mexico and Chile have been leaders in spearheading free trade agreement (FTA) expansion in the region. The drift towards regional trade agreements, sub-regionalism and preferential trade agreements (PTAs) contrasts with the sentiment and momentum from nearly two decades ago. In 1990 (then) US President George H. W. Bush floated the idea of a free trade area that would stretch ‘from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego’, which was later outlined under the vision of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). In 1994, the US, Canada, and 32 LAC1 countries hoped to negotiate an all-embracing FTAA by 2005.

Accelerating Digital Trade in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Internet roared to the scene in Latin America and it is transforming the way Latin Americans interact, shop, bank, and spend their time. The Internet is changing regional consumption patterns, the landscape of regional companies, and the regions economic prospects. Disruptive digital technologies riding on the web -cloud-based services, e-commerce, 3D printing, Internet of Things, and so on- are empowering LAC companies of all sizes to dramatically cut costs, improve customer service, and create brand new products and services. The region is also home to innovative digital companies run by intrepid entrepreneurs, some of whom have accessed significant investments from Silicon Valley and grown into some of the leading digital companies. The Internet, in short, has opened tremendous new opportunities for LAC economies to become more productive, expand opportunities for entrepreneurship, and drive inclusive economic growth.

The economics of free trade

These two volumes survey the most important scholarly writings in economics and political science that explain the drivers and constraints to freer world trade.

Regional Integration in the Americas: State of Play, Lessons, and Ways Forward

The Americas have been a key driver of regional trade agreements (RTAs) since the 1990s. This study considers the effect of these agreements on trade liberalization, and the lessons that this offers for other parts of the world, notably Asia. It finds broad geographical coverage of RTAs in the Americas, and evidence that these agreements have broadened and deepened liberalization. It stresses the importance of looking beyond tariffs on goods, to consider liberalization of services and removal of non-tariff barriers, both for academics assessing the true extent of liberalization, and for policymakers looking to ensure well-functioning RTAs. It suggests that RTAs can encourage broader liberalization in Asia, but some sectors will be resistant to liberalization. Moreover, efforts must be made to harmonize the provisions of RTAs, to avoid costly multiplication of rules and to ensure a web of bilateral deals does not undermine multilateral trade.

Regional Rules in the Global Trading System: List of figures

1. Introduction Antoni Estevadeordal, Kati Suominen and Robert Teh 2. Big-think regionalism: a critical survey Richard Baldwin 3. Market access provisions in regional trade agreements Antoni Estevadeordal, Matthew Shearer and Kati Suominen 4. Trade remedy provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh, Thomas J. Prusa and Michele Budetta 5. A mapping of regional rules on technical barriers to trade Roberta Piermartini and Michele Budetta 6. Services liberalization in the new generation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs): how much further than the GATS? Martin Roy, Juan Marchetti and Hoe Lim 7. Mapping investment provisions in regional trade agreements: towards an international investment regime? Barbara Kotschwar 8. Competition provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh Appendix.

Regional Rules in the Global Trading System: Contents

1. Introduction Antoni Estevadeordal, Kati Suominen and Robert Teh 2. Big-think regionalism: a critical survey Richard Baldwin 3. Market access provisions in regional trade agreements Antoni Estevadeordal, Matthew Shearer and Kati Suominen 4. Trade remedy provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh, Thomas J. Prusa and Michele Budetta 5. A mapping of regional rules on technical barriers to trade Roberta Piermartini and Michele Budetta 6. Services liberalization in the new generation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs): how much further than the GATS? Martin Roy, Juan Marchetti and Hoe Lim 7. Mapping investment provisions in regional trade agreements: towards an international investment regime? Barbara Kotschwar 8. Competition provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh Appendix.

Regional Rules in the Global Trading System: List of Contributors

1. Introduction Antoni Estevadeordal, Kati Suominen and Robert Teh 2. Big-think regionalism: a critical survey Richard Baldwin 3. Market access provisions in regional trade agreements Antoni Estevadeordal, Matthew Shearer and Kati Suominen 4. Trade remedy provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh, Thomas J. Prusa and Michele Budetta 5. A mapping of regional rules on technical barriers to trade Roberta Piermartini and Michele Budetta 6. Services liberalization in the new generation of preferential trade agreements (PTAs): how much further than the GATS? Martin Roy, Juan Marchetti and Hoe Lim 7. Mapping investment provisions in regional trade agreements: towards an international investment regime? Barbara Kotschwar 8. Competition provisions in regional trade agreements Robert Teh Appendix.