Briefing Papers
Report of National Dialogues 2005
2008
Trade as a Tool for Employment Generation- TDP 6/2008
This Briefing Paper examines the effectiveness of trade, and in particular export promotion, as a tool for employment generation by comparing and contrasting the liberalisation experiences of four countries – Bangladesh and Vietnam from Asia and Kenya and South Africa from Africa. [Continue reading…]
Aid for Trade: The Process So Far, But What Next?- TDP 5/2008
Many developing countries believe that they have little to gain from engaging in market access negotiations through the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as supply-side constraints and infrastructure problems prevent them from taking advantage of the trading opportunities and competing in global markets. The Aid for Trade Initiative therefore aims at increasing the support of developed countries for developing countries to foster their trade capacity building and help them adjust to the impacts of trade reforms. [Continue reading…]
Mainstreaming Development in the WTO: Developing Countries in the Doha Round- TDP 4/2008
The launch of the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations in 2001 was marked by developing countries’ criticism of the Uruguay Round and the negotiating parties promised to addess the concerns of poor countries. This paper argues that a multilateral trading system should be based on the applied principles of fair trade, capacity building, balanced rules and good governance. [Continue reading…]
From UNCTAD XI to UNCTAD XII: A Stocktaking- TDP 3/2008
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is the primary agency of the UN for the integrated treatment of all trade and related development issues. This paper argues that the changing economic landscape demands a more pointed delivery from UNCTAD that becomes a veritable economic and trade policy input at the national and regional level for developing countries and adapts to the specificities in each developing country and produces tailor made outputs. [Continue reading…]
Up-scaling Aid for Trade: A Kenya Perspective- TDP 2/2008
The World Trade Organisation’s Aid for Trade (AfT) agenda has thrown a spotlight on the trade capacity constraints facing the poorest countries and challenged donors to respond. In Kenya, the recent trends show that financing gaps are most pressing in public spending and development assistance to the agriculture, road infrastructure, micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and manufacturing sectors. [Continue reading…]
Trade Openness: The Only Path to Sustainable Growth- TDP 1/2008
On the basis of extensive country experiences, this paper argues that an open economic regime is a necessary factor for sustained and high economic growth. It is, however, not a sufficient factor, as openness in a country’s economy needs to be accompanied by several other factors such as macroeconomic stability, fiscal balance and a regime for enforcement of contracts in order for it to result in high economic growth. [Continue reading…]
2007
Integrated Framework for Trade Related Assistance: What is its role in tackling poverty?- TDP 5/2007
The supply-side constraints hampering the efforts of poor countries to respond to new trading opportunities are getting increased attention in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Aid for Trade agenda. One of the facilities utilised by the least developed countries (LDCs) to identify trade capacity building priorities is the Integrated Framework (IF), a facility which has a crucial role in integrating trade into PRSPs and guiding the Aid for Trade process. [Continue reading…]
Globalisation and Inequality: The Development Rationale- TDP 4/2007
The process of globalisation constitutes social, cultural and economic transfers across borders. The last two decades have seen major economic policy changes in most of the world economies. This paper gives a brief sector-specific economic overview of five South Asian countries and analyses the possible causes of the increasing inequality in South Asia in the course of globalisation. [Continue reading…]
WTO, Trade, Development and Aid: Some Misconceptions and Myths- TDP 3/2007
This paper addresses general misconceptions and myths about the World Trade Organisation (WTO), on trade, development and aid. First, the belief that development is equal to special and differential treatment (S&DT) provisions in the WTO agreements and aid. Second, that developing countries are reluctant participants in the negotiation on the Doha Development Agenda, and third, the misconception on Aid for Trade. [Continue reading…]
Duty-free, Quota-free Market Access: A Perspective from South Asian LDCs- TDP 2/2007
Least developed countries (LDCs), for their deficiencies in trade-related infrastructure and production and cost effectiveness, are in a disadvantageous position in the international trade integration process. To be competitive, they are in need of special and differential provisions in terms of quota facilities and preferential tariff rates that ensure better market access in the developed and in the advanced developing countries for the products of their export interest. [Continue reading…]
Aid for Trade: A Perspective from South Asian LDCs- TDP 1/2007
The concept of Aid for Trade (AfT) has been incorporated in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration for the first time, as a special and committed assistance aimed at fostering trade. AfT has the initial objective of helping developing countries to maximise the benefits from enhanced market access as well as to minimise the costs of trade liberalisation.
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