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IDRC Program Initiative: Trade, Employment, and Competitiveness (TEC) Related articles: In Reports magazine: Broadening the Benefits of Trade: The Latin American Trade Network In Reports magazine: Harvard Economist Calls for New Approach to International Development

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The past year has been a sobering one for proponents of the global trading system currently being negotiated through the World Trade Organization (WTO). At ministerial talks held in September, 2003 at Cancún, Mexico, a coalition of developing countries voiced their displeasure with the present process for establishing trade rules. The determination shown by the G20+ coalition – an alliance of diverse emerging countries formed shortly before the Cancún meetings  – is not surprising given the high stakes involved and the major hurdles developing countries face in realizing the potential gains offered by trade. Some of these hurdles are domestic – and relate to policies, institutions, and infrastructure. Many more are posed by trade practices at the regional and international levels. While tariffs have been falling over time, market access for developing countries’ products is still limited in some important areas. With a few  exceptions, notably coffee, northern countries severely limit the flow of agricultural products from the South. There is also some evidence that rich countries are finding novel ways of reintroducing restrictive measures.

 

The articles in this collection on trade reflect many of these concerns and highlight the activities of some of the people involved in broadening the benefits of trade.

 

Freer trade is supposed to be good for economic growth but does it do anything to reduce poverty? An eight-country study sheds light on the effects of liberalized trade on the poor and provides policymakers with a tool to help them extend the benefits from liberalized trade more broadly.

Dr Veena Jha, UNCTAD’s India Programme Coordinator

Dr Veena Jha is the editor of a forthcoming book on product standards. In this profile, the India-based economist talks about her career and the impact of product standards on trade in the developing world.

 

Leading researchers and experts give their views on issues of concern to the developing world:

 

Events at the 2003 WTO ministerial conference in Cancún, Mexico shook the global trading system. In December of the same year, IDRC research partners and policymakers from the South and elsewhere gathered in Ottawa to discuss their understanding of the current trade regime. The World Trading System: Challenges and Opportunities from the Development Perspective is a chronicle of this information-rich workshop and includes a complete proceedings.

 

News 5 of 9