In a simple model where global trade negotiations precede sequential Free Trade Agreement (FTA) formation, we show global tari¤ negotiations can prevent global free trade: FTA formation can yield global free trade in the absence of global tari¤ negotiations, but global free trade never emerges when global tari¤ negotitaions precede FTA formation. Intuitively, global tari¤ negotiations can preve...

 This paper examines the two most important current efforts to devise new rules binding all nations the negotiations in the WTO of trade rules and the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to devise rules restricting the annual emissions of greenhouse gases. Both negotiations have failed after several years of intensive effort. There are remarkable parallels in these ...

Negotiations among nations on policies to promote international economic integration have widened in recent years to cover new issues; for example, foreign direct investment rules, policies to promote competition, the international movement of labor, the environment and monetary union. In these negotiations, a consensus among the parties negotiating is usually lacking and many of these negotiat...

The article depicts the situation before Cold War in which developing countries (DCs) and least Developed countries (LDCs) found themselves big loser, as they were deprived from participation in trade negotiation process, leading into establishment of GATT . Therefore, they resorted to UNCTAD  as the sole defender of their interests against Developed Countries in trade negotiations. UNCTAD has ...

This paper analyses GATT/WTO trade negotiations in an oligopolistic multicountry setting and identifies a new rationale for trade agreements. When set unilaterally, tariffs are inefficiently high, both for familiar terms-of-trade reasons, but also to restrict market access of foreign firms. Trade agreements neutralise both the terms-of-trade and the market-access externalities and help countrie...

The Doha multilateral round of trade negotiations sponsored by the WTO has been dragging on for over a decade, with no end in sight. In this short paper we assess empirically what determines the duration of trade negotiations, focusing on the span between the start of trade talks and their conclusion. We use data from 88 regional trade agreements between 1988 and 2009, and a semi-parametric Cox...

Prospective studies of the potential health consequences of trade and investment treaties, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, are critical. These studies can make visible to trade policy-makers the potential negative impacts associated to such treaties and can influence the outcomes of such negotiations. However, few researchers have examined retrospectively the consequences of trade agreem...

Since late 2006, biofuel policies have caused high grain/oilseed prices by creating a link between crop and biofuel policies. The value of agricultural trade has increased sharply, mostly because of high prices, not increased trade volume. Biofuel policies have little to do with the agenda of the Doha trade negotiations but have had indirect effects in that production subsidies and import barri...

S is not a new issue in multilateral trade negotiations and was first mentioned in the Tokyo Round of trade talks in the late 1970’s. The item was first placed on the official agenda for negotiations by the USA in the lead-up to the Uruguay Round of trade talks in the 1980’s. However, less developed countries (LDCs) were quick to oppose its inclusion in GATT as they felt they had little to gain...

AbstractThis paper examines the impasse in the current Doha Development Round negotiations andasks how the rules of the WTO could be changed to facilitate multilateral negotiations andto increase the welfare of the Member countries. It considers possible changes to the methodof negotiation. As examples of rules which are outdated, it considers the rules relating toregional trade agreements and ...