Doha Merchandise Trade Reform : What’s at Stake for Developing Countries?

This paper provides new estimates of the global gains from multilateral trade reform and their distribution among developing countries in the presence of trade preferences. Particular attention is given to agriculture, as farmers constitute the poorest households in developing countries but are the most assisted in rich countries. The latest GTAP database (Version 6.05) and the LINKAGE model of the global economy are used to examine the impact first of current merchandise trade barriers and agricultural subsidies, and then of possible reform outcomes from the WTO's Doha Development Agenda. The results suggest moving to free global merchandise trade would boost real incomes in Sub-Saharan Africa proportionately more than in other developing countries or high-income countries, despite a terms of trade loss in parts of that region. Net farm incomes would rise substantially in that and other developing country regions, thereby alleviating rural poverty. A Doha partial liberalization could move the world some way toward those desirable outcomes, but more so the more developing countries themselves cut applied tariffs, particularly on agricultural imports.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique, Anderson, Kym, Martin, Will
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2006-02
Subjects:	AGGREGATE IMPORTS, AGGREGATE MEASURE OF SUPPORT, AGGREGATE SUPPLY, AGRICULTURAL DOMESTIC SUPPORT, AGRICULTURAL EXPORT, AGRICULTURAL EXPORT SUBSIDIES, AGRICULTURAL IMPORTS, AGRICULTURAL MARKET, AGRICULTURAL MARKET ACCESS, AGRICULTURAL POLICIES, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, AGRICULTURAL PROTECTION, AGRICULTURAL REFORM, AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES, AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT, AGRICULTURAL TARIFF, AGRICULTURAL TARIFFS, AGRICULTURAL TRADE, AGRICULTURAL VALUE, AGRICULTURE, APPLIED TARIFF, AVERAGE TARIFF, AVERAGE TARIFFS, BASE YEAR, BENCHMARK, BENEFITS OF TRADE, BILATERAL TRADE, CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, COMMODITIES, COMMODITY EXPORTERS, CONSTANT ELASTICITY OF TRANSFORMATION, CONSTANT RETURNS TO SCALE, CONSUMERS, COTTON, COUNTRY MARKETS, COUNTRY TARIFF, CURRENT ACCOUNT, CURRENT ACCOUNT BALANCE, CUTTING, DAIRY, DAIRY PRODUCTS, ECONOMIC EXPANSION, ECONOMIC OUTCOMES, ECONOMIC SECTORS, ECONOMIC WELFARE, ELASTICITY, EXPORT CREDITS, EXPORT GROWTH, EXPORT PRICE, EXPORT QUOTAS, EXPORT SUBSIDY, EXPORTS, FARM, FARM EMPLOYMENT, FARM INCOMES, FARM PRODUCTS, FARMERS, FARMS, FOOD PRODUCTS, FREE TRADE, FULL LIBERALIZATION, FULL TRADE LIBERALIZATION, GDP, GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES, GLOBAL COMPUTABLE GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM, GLOBAL EXPORTS, GLOBAL TRADE, GLOBAL TRADE ANALYSIS, HIGH TARIFFS, HOUSEHOLDS, IMPORT PROTECTION, IMPORT TARIFF, IMPORT TARIFFS, IMPORTS OF TEXTILES, INCOME, INTENSIVE FARMING, INTERMEDIATE GOODS, INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL MOBILITY, INTERNATIONAL MARKETS, ITC, LIVESTOCK, MARKET ACCESS, MARKET ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES, MEAT, MULTILATERAL LIBERALIZATION, MULTILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS, MULTILATERAL TRADE, MULTILATERAL TRADE REFORM, NATIONAL INCOME, NON-TARIFF BARRIERS, OPEN ECONOMIES, PARTIAL EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS, PREFERENTIAL ACCESS, PRICE INDEX, PROTECTION DATA, PROTECTION RATES, RATE QUOTAS, RATES OF PROTECTION, REAL INCOME, RECIPROCITY, REGIONAL INTEGRATION, ROUND OF MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, RULES OF ORIGIN, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, SUGAR, SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES, TARIFF BARRIERS, TARIFF BINDING, TARIFF BINDINGS, TARIFF LEVEL, TARIFF LEVELS, TARIFF LINES, TARIFF PREFERENCES, TARIFF RATE, TARIFF RATE QUOTAS, TARIFF RATES, TARIFF REFORM, TARIFF REVENUES, TERMS OF TRADE, TERMS OF TRADE LOSS, TRADE BARRIERS, TRADE DATA, TRADE DISTORTIONS, TRADE EFFECT, TRADE EFFECTS, TRADE FLOWS, TRADE IN SERVICES, TRADE LOSSES, TRADE MODELS, TRADE POLICY, TRADE POLICY REFORM, TRADE PREFERENCES, TRADE REFORM, TRADE REFORMS, UNILATERAL LIBERALIZATION, URUGUAY ROUND, VALUE ADDED, VOLUME, WELFARE GAINS, WESTERN EUROPE, WTO,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/02/6600488/doha-merchandise-trade-reform-whats-stake-developing-countries https://hdl.handle.net/10986/8745
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!