Sam Laird

Regional trade agreements and the WTO1

Abstract The rapid growth in the number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has led to concern about the weakening of the multilateral trading system. This paper looks at the spread of such agreements and the extent to which they pose a threat to the system.

Multilateral Market Access Negotiations in Goods and Services

The prospective WTO Millennium Round of negotiations will highlight critical economic issues regarding the application and implementation of the WTO rules to international trade in goods and services. In this book, a distinguished group of academic experts considers the agenda and areas of interest for the next Round in light of Seattle, the functions of the WTO and competition policy issues arising from trade liberalization.

Quantifying Commercial Policies

This paper is concerned with the measurement of tariff and non-tariff barriers for use in quantitative analysis of commercial policies. Non-tariff measures are defined and classified, and the measurement of their effects is discussed. This includes a review of the inventory approach, under which NTMs are catalogued, modelling approaches, tariff equivalents, subsidy equivalents, the trade restrictiveness index (TRI), and effective rates of protection. There is also a brief discussion on sources of data on NTMs.

The WTO agenda and the developing countries

The prospective WTO Millennium Round of negotiations will highlight critical economic issues regarding the application and implementation of the WTO rules to international trade in goods and services. In this book, a distinguished group of academic experts considers the agenda and areas of interest for the next Round in light of Seattle, the functions of the WTO and competition policy issues arising from trade liberalization.

Trick or Treat? Development Opportunities and Challenges in the WTO Negotiations on Industrial Tariffs

Negotiations on industrial tariffs in the current WTO work programme have turned out to be surprisingly difficult. On the one hand, developing countries, particularly in Africa, are concerned about the potential negative effect on their industrial development of developed country efforts to push them into deep cuts in applied tariffs: after the disillusion of the Uruguay Round, promises of welfare gains seem unconvincing. On the other hand, a number of the more complex formula proposals for tariff-cutting make it difficult for participants to evaluate what they have to do compared with what they hope to receive. The developing countries may achieve greater exports and welfare gains from the more ambitious proposals, but computations show that these also imply greater imports, lower tariff revenues, some labour market adjustments and reduced output in some politically sensitive sectors. Some way of assisting the developing countries in coping with these adjustments is required to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the negotiations.

A Round By Any Other Name: The WTO Agenda After Doha

The WTO agenda decided at Doha in November 2001 has all the hallmarks of a new trade round, although the word ‘round’ has been carefully avoided. To the already mandated negotiations on agriculture and services, Doha added negotiations on industrial products and the environment as well as reviews of the operation of WTO rules in several areas. Negotiations are also to begin on the highly contentious areas of investment and competition policy. Developing countries have been reluctant to contemplate such wider commitments, arguing that much still remains to be done on implementation of the Uruguay Round, and in this they received a degree of satisfaction. In the work ahead, however, much needs to be done to take account of their needs.

The WTO and Development

Abstract Development issues are at the centre of the crisis confronting the WTO system since Seattle. While development objectives appear central to the WTO, in practice many provisions are in the form of best endeavours. The current WTO negotiations seem to give new impetus to addressing development issues, but much depends on implementation. While attention seems to be focused on patching the existing system, a more fundamental re-think of the trade and development agenda may be required.