Trade, Doha, and Development : A Window into the Issues
This book traces the development of world trade from the era when the global trading system had been stacked against growth in developing countries to the present time when the membership of the WTO has grown to include most developing countries. It is for this reason that the Doha Round is important: It has given all countries of the world the opportunity to work collectively on barriers of interest to developing countries and to the world's poor. Although the choice is simple, it is not easy. The underlying details of the issues are notoriously complex. Observers have a difficult time penetrating the veil of legal and economic opacity that envelops the negotiations. The details are sufficiently technical and multifarious that experts in one area are often unaware of technical details in another. And details make the difference between opening markets and merely appearing to do so through a vacuous agreement that looks good on the surface but does little or nothing to widen opportunities for poor traders in the global market place. This book provides succinct analyses of the most critical issues facing negotiators, highlighting the choices that most affect development. It is a window into the issues. The WTO negotiations are not the only ones shaping the world trading system. For one thing, regional trade agreements in growing numbers are introducing preferential trade arrangements between subsets of the international community. Then again, a third subject of international policy discussions-"aid for trade"-affects developing countries' opportunities to participate in the global market. This book details the pitfalls for the world economic system to avoid, and the author hopes that it will contribute to a better world trading system, one that is more equitable and more supportive of development.
| Main Author: | |
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| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2006
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| Subjects: | AID FOR TRADE, DOHA, GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM, OPENING MARKETS, POOR TRADERS, REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS, TRADE, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, WTO NEGOTIATIONS, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/01/7564325/trade-doha-development-window-issues https://hdl.handle.net/10986/7135 |
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| Summary: | This book traces the development of
world trade from the era when the global trading system had
been stacked against growth in developing countries to the
present time when the membership of the WTO has grown to
include most developing countries. It is for this reason
that the Doha Round is important: It has given all countries
of the world the opportunity to work collectively on
barriers of interest to developing countries and to the
world's poor. Although the choice is simple, it is not
easy. The underlying details of the issues are notoriously
complex. Observers have a difficult time penetrating the
veil of legal and economic opacity that envelops the
negotiations. The details are sufficiently technical and
multifarious that experts in one area are often unaware of
technical details in another. And details make the
difference between opening markets and merely appearing to
do so through a vacuous agreement that looks good on the
surface but does little or nothing to widen opportunities
for poor traders in the global market place. This book
provides succinct analyses of the most critical issues
facing negotiators, highlighting the choices that most
affect development. It is a window into the issues. The WTO
negotiations are not the only ones shaping the world trading
system. For one thing, regional trade agreements in growing
numbers are introducing preferential trade arrangements
between subsets of the international community. Then again,
a third subject of international policy
discussions-"aid for trade"-affects developing
countries' opportunities to participate in the global
market. This book details the pitfalls for the world
economic system to avoid, and the author hopes that it will
contribute to a better world trading system, one that is
more equitable and more supportive of development. |
|---|