Services in Doha : What’s on the Table?

Services trade reform matters, but what is Doha doing about it? It has been hard to judge, because of the opaqueness of services policies and the opaqueness of the request-offer negotiating process. This paper attempts to assess what is on the table. It presents the results of the first survey of applied trade policies in the major services sectors of 56 industrial and developing countries. These policies are then compared with these countries' Uruguay Round commitments in services and the best offers that they have made in the current Doha negotiations. The paper finds that at this stage, Doha promises greater security of access to markets but not any additional liberalization. Uruguay Round commitments are on average 2.3 times more restrictive than current policies. The best offers submitted so far as part of the Doha negotiations improve on Uruguay Round commitments by about 13 percent but remain on average 1.9 times more restrictive than actual policies. The World Trade Organization's Hong Kong Ministerial had set out ambitious goals for services but the analysis here shows that much remains to be done to achieve them.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gootiiz, Batshur, Mattoo, Aaditya
Language:English
Published: 2009-04-01
Subjects:ACCOUNTING, AIR, AIR FREIGHT, AIR PASSENGER, AIR PASSENGERS, AIR TRAFFIC, AIR TRANSPORT, AUTOMOBILE, AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE, AUXILIARY SERVICES, BANKS, BEST MARKET, BRAIN DRAIN, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, BUSINESS SERVICES, COMMERCIAL PRESENCE, COUNTRY MARKETS, CRITICAL MASS, CROSS BORDER TRADE, CROSS-BORDER TRADE, DEPOSIT, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPING COUNTRY, DIRECT INVESTMENT, DISCRIMINATORY REGULATION, DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA, DOMESTIC REGULATIONS, EXCHANGE RATE, FINANCIAL SERVICES, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, FOREIGN EQUITY, FOREIGN EQUITY PARTICIPATION, FOREIGN INVESTMENT, FOREIGN OWNERSHIP, FOREIGN PROFESSIONALS, FOREIGN SERVICES, FREIGHT, GATS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, INCOME, INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES, INDUSTRIAL COUNTRY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, INTERNATIONAL LAW, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, LAWS, LIFE INSURANCE, LOCAL LAW, LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, MARITIME TRANSPORT, MARKET ACCESS, MFN, MINISTERS, MOBILITY, MODES OF SUPPLY, MONOPOLIES, NATIONAL TREATMENT, OUTSOURCING, PASSENGER TRANSPORT, PRESENCE OF NATURAL PERSONS, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, PUBLIC MONOPOLIES, QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, RAIL, RAIL FREIGHT, RAILWAY, REFORM PROGRAMS, REGULATORS, REINSURANCE, ROAD, SAVINGS, SERVICE SECTORS, SERVICES LIBERALIZATION, SERVICES MARKETS, SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS, SERVICES PROVIDERS, SERVICES SECTOR, SERVICES SECTORS, SERVICES TRADE, SPECIFIC SERVICES SECTORS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, TRADE IN SERVICES, TRANSITION COUNTRIES, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT COSTS, TRANSPORT SERVICES, TRANSPORTATION, TRUE, WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS, WORLD TRADE, WTO,
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20090416133806
https://hdl.handle.net/10986/4097
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