To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Regional Trade Agreement (RTAs).
Journal articles on the topic 'Regional Trade Agreement (RTAs)'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'Regional Trade Agreement (RTAs).'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Freckleton, Marie, and Patrice Whitely. "Can trade agreements among small countries create trade?" International Journal of Development Issues 19, no. 2 (April 16, 2020): 205–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijdi-06-2019-0110.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of a regional trade agreement among a group of small island developing states on trade creation and trade diversion. Design/methodology/approach An augmented gravity model and panel data are used to estimate the trade creation and trade diversion effects. The generalized method of moments technique is used to account for possible endogeneity. Country pair and time fixed effects are also included. Findings The regional trade agreement had a positive effect on intra-regional trade creation, but there was no significant diversion of imports from extra-regional trade partners. Practical implications Small developing economies can benefit from regional trade agreements (RTAs) among themselves. The trade diversion effects of such agreements are likely to be limited. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the only paper which investigates the impact of RTAs among small island developing states.
2
Huang, Siyu, Wensha Gou, Hongbo Cai, Xiaomeng Li, and Qinghua Chen. "Effects of Regional Trade Agreement to Local and Global Trade Purity Relationships." Complexity 2020 (July 23, 2020): 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/2987217.
Full textAbstract:
In contrast to the rapid integration of the world economy, many regional trade agreements (RTAs) have also emerged since the early 1990s. This contradiction has encouraged scholars and policymakers to explore the true effects of RTAs, including both regional and global trade relationships. This paper defines synthesized trade resistance and decomposes it into natural and artificial factors. Here, we separate the influence of geographical distance, economic volume, and overall increase in transportation and labor costs and use the expectation maximization algorithm to optimize the parameters and quantify the trade purity indicator, which describes the true global trade environment and relationships among countries. This indicates that although global and most regional trade relations gradually deteriorated during the period 2007–2017, RTAs generate trade relations among members, especially contributing to the relative prosperity of European Union (EU) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries. In addition, we apply the network to reflect the purity of the trade relations among countries. The effects of RTAs can be analyzed by comparing typical trade unions and trade communities, which are presented using an empirical network structure. This analysis shows that the community structure is quite consistent with some trade unions, and the representative RTAs constitute the core structure of international trade network. However, the role of trade unions has weakened, and multilateral trade liberalization has accelerated in the past decade. This means that more countries have recently tended to expand their trading partners outside of these unions rather than limit their trading activities to RTAs.
3
Pal, Parthapratim. "Regional Trade Agreements in a Multilateral Trade Regime." Foreign Trade Review 40, no. 1 (April 2005): 27–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0015732515050102.
Full textAbstract:
One of the most striking developments in the world trading system since the mid 1990s has been the surge in Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). From about 50 till 1990, the number of RTAs has crossed 250 in 2003. As trading within RTAs does not come under the purview of World Trade Organization (WTO), this explosive growth of regionalism is threatening to emerge as an alternative to the WTO led international trading system. This has initiated an intense debate among economists whether RTAs are “building blocks” or “stumbling blocks” of the multilateral trading system. In this backdrop, this paper traces the reasons behind this resurgent regionalism and surveys the literature on RTAs and its interaction with the multilateral trading system. This paper attempts to look at these issues from the perspective of a developing country.
4
Barnekow, Sarah Ellis, and Kishore G. Kulkarni. "Why Regionalism? A Look at the Costs and Benefits of Regional Trade Agreements in Africa." Global Business Review 18, no. 1 (January 25, 2017): 99–117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0972150916666881.
Full textAbstract:
Countries were involved in regional trade agreements (RTAs) long before the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was established in 1947. In recent years, however, RTAs have proliferated, particularly in Africa. In this article, we examine the various reasons why African countries have chosen to engage in these agreements, particularly in light of the fact that they do not seem to be ‘trade creating’ in nature. As Jacob Viner made it popular in the 1950s, not all trade agreements lead to higher economic welfare for the nations engaging in them. In the case of African countries where there is a limited degree of variation in the goods that are produced, and infrastructure and trading systems are designed for intercontinental rather than intra-continental trade, RTAs may not necessarily lead to greater welfare. Our examination of RTAs does not yield a strong positive result that they are welfare-enhancing exercises. A greater care needs to be taken for future RTAs.
5
Gounder, Neelesh, and Biman Chand Prasad. "Regional trade agreements and the new theory of trade." Journal of International Trade Law and Policy 10, no. 1 (March 29, 2011): 49–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14770021111116133.
Full textAbstract:
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the two issues of regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the new theory of international trade and draw conclusions for Pacific Island countries (PICs). The authors provide a deeper conceptual treatment of the consequences of RTAs and analyse the new theory of international trade to explore its implications for trade policy in PICs.Design/methodology/approachWith regard to RTAs, the argument is developed in the context of the conjecture that questions the benefits from adopting more open trade policies with neighbours while maintaining restrictive policies towards the rest of the world. The authors draw on international and regional analytical literature and on recent modelling work to review critically the possible gains and losses of RTAs for PICs. In the latter issue, the focus is on the roles of imperfect competition and scale economies and their relevance to PICs.FindingsFreeing up trade gradually and unilaterally and realizing the benefits of comparative advantage remains the best way to maximise welfare. PICs could be worse off under a complex system of overlapping RTAs and existence of RTAs by Australia and New Zealand outside the region has the possibility of marginalizing weak PICs economies.Practical implicationsPICs are currently at a critical juncture in terms of trade policy making with various trade agreements being thrown in the region and this paper has the capacity to provide some answers to policy makers on the approach to take.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights into regional trade agreements and the new theory of trade.
6
Martin, Philippe, Thierry Mayer, and Mathias Thoenig. "The Geography of Conflicts and Regional Trade Agreements." American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics 4, no. 4 (October 1, 2012): 1–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/mac.4.4.1.
Full textAbstract:
In addition to standard trade gains, regional trade agreements (RTAs) can promote peaceful relations by increasing the opportunity cost of conflicts. Country pairs with large trade gains from RTAs and a high probability of conflict should be more likely to sign an RTA. Using data from 1950 to 2000, we show that this complementarity between economic and politics determines the geography of RTAs. We disentangle trade gains from political factors by a theory-driven empirical estimation and find that country pairs with higher frequency of past wars are more likely to sign RTAs, the more so the larger the trade gains. (JEL D72, D74, F15, N70)
7
Wandel, Jürgen. "Do free trade agreements promote sneaky protectionism? A classical liberal perspective." International Journal of Management and Economics 55, no. 3 (September 30, 2019): 185–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2019-0017.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract A neglected aspect of regional trade agreements (RTAs) is their protectionist potential. In times of a stagnating World Trade Organization (WTO), growing economic nationalism and skepticism about the merits of free trade and trade agreements, the paper examines to what extent recently signed RTAs really promote genuine free trade or rather foster sneaky protectionism under the guise of free trade. For this, the paper proposes an ideal-type free trade agreement benchmark model based on a classical liberal perspective and applies it in a multiple case study approach to assess three cases of recently concluded mega-RTAs: the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the renegotiated North American trade agreement USCMA, and the Canada–European Union (EU) agreement CETA. The article shows that all of them are far from the classical liberal ideal of totally free trade and have a high content of back door protectionism suitable to raise trade barriers when politically opportune. In particular, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) includes many clear protectionist provisions that might even outweigh its liberalizing stipulations, whereas CPTPP and CETA can be deemed net liberalizing. It concludes that given political economy constraints, RTAs can nevertheless remain a second-best solution to the classical liberal ideals of completely unhampered trade and unilateral liberalization provided that they remove more impediments to free exchange than they cement or create.
8
DAWAR, KAMALA. "Government Procurement in the WTO: A Case for Greater Integration." World Trade Review 15, no. 4 (January 5, 2016): 645–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745615000592.
Full textAbstract:
This article assesses the regulation of government procurement in the WTO, specifically under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA), the General Agreement on Tariffs in Trade (GATT), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM). It compares these findings from leading regional trade agreements (RTAs) with government procurement regulation, most notably the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
9
Willemyns, Ines. "Agreement Forthcoming? A Comparison of EU, US, and Chinese RTAs in Times of Plurilateral E-Commerce Negotiations." Journal of International Economic Law 23, no. 1 (March 1, 2020): 221–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgz048.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT This paper discusses the results of a study into the evolution of electronic commerce-related provisions in regional trade agreements (RTAs) and supplements them with a tripartite comparison of the e-commerce provisions in Chinese, EU, and US RTAs. As trade barriers related to electronic commerce are becoming ever more important in the global trade landscape and no explicit provisions exist at the multilateral level, it can be expected that WTO Members increasingly include provisions addressing such barriers, and electronic commerce more generally, at the bilateral and regional levels. This study applies a term-frequency analysis to the whole body of RTAs that contain e-commerce-related provisions, mapping the evolution of e-commerce chapters over time. Subsequently, a legal analysis is conducted on the e-commerce terms that were found in Chinese, EU, and US RTAs. Based on these Members’ position at the multilateral level, the e-commerce topics covered in their RTAs, and the nature of the provisions included, the paper aims to assess the convergences and divergences in their approach to e-commerce at the bilateral level and to draw lessons for the ongoing WTO plurilateral negotiations on the trade-related aspects of electronic commerce.
10
Suominen, Kati. "The Changing Anatomy of Regional Trade Agreements in East Asia." Journal of East Asian Studies 9, no. 1 (April 2009): 29–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1598240800002800.
Full textAbstract:
The recent proliferation of regional trade agreements in the East Asian region can be seen as the most notable development in the region's trading panorama in recent years. Yet, very little is as yet understood about the anatomy of these agreements and, consequently, their full implications to the regional economy. This article strives to fill this gap by analyzing the structure of four dozen RTAs by their various key component parts, including tariff liberalization schedules, rules of origin, and competition policy, customs, investment, and services provisions. The results reveal that intra-Asian RTAs are generally quite rapidly liberalizing, with the exception of agriculture, but they are also quite thin in trade-related disciplines when compared with the more legalistic US trans-Pacific RTAs and those of Mexico and Chile. The proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific would inherently be a construct of the political economy interests of these various constituent RTAs.
11
Sunge, Regret, and Nicholas Ngepah. "Agricultural trade liberalization, regional trade agreements and agricultural technical efficiency in Africa." Outlook on Agriculture 49, no. 1 (August 28, 2019): 66–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0030727019870551.
Full textAbstract:
Despite increased agricultural trade liberalization, high productive inefficiency in agriculture has kept Africa as a net importer of agriculture products. Empirical studies have focused on the trade liberalization–productivity growth nexus and overlooked the efficiency linkage. Also the role of regional trade agreements (RTAs) and institutions in reducing inefficiency in agriculture have been sidelined. We use a stochastic frontier approach and single-stage maximum likelihood estimation of a true fixed-effects panel data model for our analysis. Using maize and rice data, we provide evidence that through technology transfer, agricultural trade statistically improves technical efficiency. Moreover, results suggest that RTAs provide favourable technical efficiency effects, which varies across products and membership. Furthermore, we document that while regulatory quality reduces technical inefficiency, control of corruption increases it. Our findings call for increased role of RTAs in promoting agricultural trade liberalization. This should be complemented by further strengthening of institutions involved in the agriculture value chain.
12
Herz, Bernhard, and Marco Wagner. "Regionalism as a Building Block for Multilateralism." Global Economy Journal 11, no. 1 (March 2011): 1850217. http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/1524-5861.1676.
Full textAbstract:
The well-known question whether regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the multilateral trading system (MTS) are “strangers, friends, or foes” (Bhagwati and Panagariya, 1996) has gained new importance with the widespread proliferation of RTAs in recent years. Based on an extensive data set which covers most of world trade over the past 60 years and about 240 regional trade agreements, we analyze the relationship between RTAs and the MTS by combining the gravity model framework with vector auto-regression analysis. Impulse-response-functions robustly suggest that multilateral trade liberalization responds in a significantly positive way to regional trade liberalization. We also find robust evidence that RTA liberalization Granger-causes GATT/WTO liberalization. Thus, our results indicate that RTAs do not undermine the MTS but serve as building blocks to multilateral trade liberalization.
13
Hodu, Yenkong Ngangjoh. "Regionalism in the WTO and the Legal Status of a Development Agenda in the EU/ACP Economic Partnership Agreement." Nordic Journal of International Law 78, no. 2 (2009): 225–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157181009x431767.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThe proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) which share similar ideals with the World Trade Organization (WTO) has added to claims of disintegration within international trade law. Notwithstanding the ambiguity surrounding the reading of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Article XXIV on RTAs, WTO members are continuously negotiating RTAs with objectives which have so far not received universal acceptance under the WTO treaty system. In the context of European Union (EU)-Africa trade relations, the December 2007 EU-Africa summit was expected to be an appropriate venue for leaders from both sides to resolve the controversy surrounding the idea of development-friendly free trade agreements between the contracting parties. But, the summit was wrapped up without achieving any clear answer to this issue. Similarly, at the multilateral level, i.e. the WTO Doha Development Round negotiations, which the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States have sponsored, numerous development-friendly proposals on RTAs stalled since July 2006. Consequently, in view of this controversy, if development concerns can be factored into economic partnership agreements (EPAs), what would be an acceptable threshold for such RTAs to conform to GATT Article XXIV requirements of “substantially all trade” and “reasonable period of time”? This paper discusses the idea of development and WTO compatibility in the context of the EU-Africa Economic Partnership negotiations. In view of the flawed dispute settlement provisions under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA), the paper further tries to answer the question of whether the CPA contains rights and obligations that need protection by individual EU member courts and may necessarily be enforced before the European Court of Justice. The paper ends with some thoughts on the post-EPAs adjustment programme.
14
Acharya, Rohini. "WTO Procedures to Monitor RTAs." Proceedings of the ASIL Annual Meeting 111 (2017): 89–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/amp.2017.67.
Full textAbstract:
Ten years ago, in December 2006, the WTO created a new Transparency Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements, an early harvest of the Doha Development Round of trade negotiations. The objective was to try to understand RTAs better and permit the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (CRTA) to perform one of its key functions of monitoring RTAs in a more efficient manner.
15
Daniltsev, Alexander, and Olga Biryukova. "Beyond the gats: Implicit engines in services RTAs." Panoeconomicus 62, no. 3 (2015): 321–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/pan1503321d.
Full textAbstract:
In the last 15 years the reciprocity of regional trade agreements on services has become a global phenomenon. Whereas main provisions regulating access to the services market are fixed by specific obligations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, RTAs have been considered a flexible means for liberalization and an expedient to protect national service providers. This article explores the role of the GATS and other agreements, both under and not under the mandate of the World Trade Organization, in trade blocs. The econometric model developed by the authors shows that the removal of restrictions for foreign suppliers under domestic regulation (consumer protection, regulation of labor market) and the elimination of discriminatory measures on foreign investments that affect trade in goods are likely to be more important for the expansion of services trade on a preferential basis than the GATS-type liberalization.
16
Kahouli, Bassem, and Samir Maktouf. "The link between regional integration agreements, trade flows and economic crisis." International Journal of Development Issues 13, no. 1 (April 1, 2014): 35–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijdi-11-2013-0082.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to use the approach based on the application of the law of gravity for the study of the flows of export and the effects of the RTAs. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors evaluate the effects of RTAs on exports between members and non-members taking into account the Vinerian specification. The authors also try to estimate the impact of the recent economic crisis on the flows of export and the success of the RTAs. The authors use a model of static and dynamic gravity for 40 countries and six RTAs during the period 1980-2011. Findings – Definitely the proliferation of RTAs will continue to be one of the driving forces that will constitute the political system and the global economy in the following years. It indicates a process that implies the merger of economies separated in bigger regions of free trade. Regional integration is seen as beneficial in many senses and is the major economic objectives in addition to presenting a stabilizing factor in international relations. Originality/value – The gravity model is estimated using the last techniques of panel data which takes into account the endogeneity of the effects of integration and the existence of dynamic effect.
17
Chi, Manjiao. "Regulation of Special Economic Zones Through Regional Trade Agreements: Confronting the Synergy Issue." Journal of International Economic Law 24, no. 2 (April 20, 2021): 423–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgab016.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT Special economic zones (SEZs) and regional trade agreements (RTAs) are frequently used by states as policy tools to promote economic development. As SEZs and RTAs overlap in geographical coverage and regulation areas and are implemented in parallel, they could create profound synergies. As there is no specialized international legal framework for SEZ regulation, and national SEZ laws seldom touch upon the synergy issue, SEZ regulation is largely left to RTAs at the international level. Yet, existing SEZ-related provisions in RTAs almost exclusively focus on trade in goods and appear insufficient in addressing the synergy issue—especially ‘new synergies’ created by ‘advanced SEZs’ and ‘deep RTAs’. To properly address the synergy issue, states should treat SEZ policy-making and RTA rule-making in a coordinated way and consider adopting a regional or multilateral approach in SEZ regulation.
18
Panezi, Maria. "The Two Noble Kinsmen: Internal and Legal Transparency in the WTO and Their Connection to Preferential and Regional Trade Agreements." British Journal of American Legal Studies 5, no. 2 (December 1, 2016): 539–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bjals-2016-0019.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The proliferation of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) has given rise to significant debate on the need to measure, understand and possibly regulate the impact these agreements have on the multilateral trading system under the umbrella of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This article will discuss the two Doha Transparency Mechanisms (legal transparency) regarding regional trade agreements, as they appear in two General Council decisions from 2006 and 2010. I will argue based on a closer look and a consistent interpretation of Paragraph 10 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration that there is another type of transparency that is relevant to the discussion on PTAs/RTAs, namely “internal transparency.” “Internal transparency stricto sensu” highlights the significance of trust in the WTO institutional processes, such as negotiations, decision-making, dispute settlement and trade monitoring that the representatives of developing member states should have in order for the WTO system to function productively. “Internal transparency lato sensu” is introduced in this article as an extension to include any decision-making deficits, exclusionary and asymmetrical outcomes specifically in the area of unchecked Preferential Trade Agreement proliferation. Instead of a conclusion, the article offers some proposals for more a meaningful progress in the WTO with respect to PTAs/RTAs The proposals aim at raising the profile of both legal and internal of transparency and posit that raising the profile of one will inevitably lead in improvements in the other.
19
Saurombe, A. "The Southern African Development Community Trade Legal Instruments Compliance with Certain Criteria of GATT Article XXIV." Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal/Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad 14, no. 4 (June 8, 2017): 286. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2011/v14i4a2591.
Full textAbstract:
Article XXIV of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) lays down the legal principles with which regional trade agreements have to conform. Based on these principles, WTO members have the mandate to determine the legality of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) under the GATT. Article XXIV permits both regional and bilateral preferential trade agreements leading to the formation of customs unions and free trade areas, and seeks to integrate them in the multilateral trading system envisioned for the world. SADC is an RTA created under this Article. Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding the provisions and interpretation of Article XXIV, this paper seeks to establish the extent to which the SADC Protocol on Trade and free trade area comply with WTO rules. An analysis of selected Article XXIV provisions and the SADC Trade Protocol provisions will be undertaken in trying to establish this compliance.
20
Tongzon, Jose L. "Free Trade Agreements: WTO and ASEAN Implications." Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies 20 (April 10, 2004): 95–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.22439/cjas.v20i0.35.
Full textAbstract:
The World Trade Organization (WTO) (formerly GATT) was established primarily to achieve free trade across the globe based on the principle of non-discrimination and the process of multilateral trade negotiations. The fact that most countries are members of WTO reflects the worldwide belief in the benefits of a global free trade. Despite its achievements since the first round of multilateral trade negotiations was held, the effectiveness of the process has been called into question. Most WTO members are now proposing new regional trading arrangements (RTAs), such as free trade agreements (FTAs). What implication does these RTAs have for the WTO and ASEAN countries? Should ASEAN countries give regionalism priority over the WTO-based multilateral approach? To answer this questions, this paper will first summarize the motivations behind the formation of RTAs before presenting the merits and demerits of RTAs as an approach to achieve universal free trade and maximize developing countries' welfare. It is argued that despite its inherent limitations it is important for ASEAN countries to remain primarily committed to the principles of WTO and the process of multilateral trade negotiations.
21
Martínez-Zarzoso, Inmaculada, and Santiago Chelala. "Trade agreements and international technology transfer." Review of World Economics 157, no. 3 (June 1, 2021): 631–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10290-021-00420-7.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis is the first paper that analyzes for a global sample of countries how trade agreements that include technology-related provisions impact exports of goods, and how this impact differs depending on the technology content of the goods. It includes estimations of a structural gravity model for a panel of 176 countries over the period 1995–2015. The model differentiates between provisions relating technology transfer, technical cooperation, research and development, and patents and intellectual property rights. It also estimates the differences in these effects depending on whether the trade flow in question is between countries with similar or different levels of development. The main results indicate that regional trade agreements (RTAs) that contain technology provisions generate a significantly higher volume of trade than RTAs that do not, after controlling for the depth of the RTAs. For countries that ratify RTAs that include such provisions, it is exports of technology-intensive goods that increase the most. Trade agreements including such provisions have a heterogeneous effect that varies by income level of the trading partners and depends on the extent to which the RTA incorporates other provisions.
22
Trung, Nguyen Xuan, Nguyen Duc Hung, and Nguyen Thi Hien. "Exploiting the Trade Potential from Integration: Analysing the Impact of Free Trade Agreements between ASEAN and India and China." China Report 54, no. 4 (September 12, 2018): 442–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0009445518795999.
Full textAbstract:
In this article, we use the technique of stochastic frontier estimation for the structural gravity model to analyse Vietnam’s bilateral trade and evaluate its exploitation of trade efficiency before and after its free trade agreements (FTAs) with China and India entered into force. The results from Vietnam’s bilateral trade data between 2000 and 2015 show that the ASEAN–India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA) has had a positive impact on Vietnam’s bilateral trade flows while we found a remarkably negative effect on Vietnam’s exports but not imports after the entry into force of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA). In addition, Vietnam’s participation in the regional trade agreements (RTAs) and FTAs has significantly reduced the costs of trade over time, and these impacts on Vietnam’s imports are much higher than those on Vietnam's exports.
23
Salamatov, Vladimir Yu, and Nataliia M. Galkina. "COMPREHENSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE AGREEMENT FOR TRANS – PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP – 11): PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE?" International Trade and Trade Policy, no. 1 (March 15, 2019): 5–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.21686/2410-7395-2019-1-5-18.
Full textAbstract:
The article considers the global trend towards regional trade agreements (RTA). The authors note that in addition to the common bilateral RTAs, countries conclude multilateral regional trade agreements. In particular, the article examines changes in the world economy, which occur under the influence of the mega-regional trade agreements (MRTA) formation. An example of the MRTA is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and its possible impact onRussiais discussed in the present article. The authors discuss the stages of TPP development, its goals, provisions, innovations and prospects. The article analyses an example of a country’s withdrawal from an agreement, its’ consequences and possible impact on the country itself and other signatory countries to the agreement. The article points out the differences between TPP and TPP-11. Inparticular, the article discusses the possible impact of the TPP-11 onRussia. Trade relations betweenRussiaand TPP-11 signatory countries are considered, and key markets among TPP-11 countries are identified. The article highlights the importance ofRussia's rapid response to the possible consequences of the TPP-11, including the possible conclusion of bilateral trade agreements between the EAEU, whereRussiais a member, and potential partners from TPP-11 countries.
24
ZANG, MICHELLE Q. "When the Multilateral Meets the Regionals: Regional Trade Agreements at WTO Dispute Settlement." World Trade Review 18, no. 1 (May 21, 2018): 33–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745618000010.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractInteraction between regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the multilateral trading system established by the World Trade Organization (WTO) is an issue of significance but nevertheless remains unsettled. This article aims to explore the influence RTAs have generated had on the WTO system, with particular focus on the approach adopted by the adjudicators when dealing with irreconcilable RTA–WTO conflicts. During the development of 20 years’ jurisprudence, WTO adjudicators offered responses to a number of critical questions. On the one hand, direct endorsement of RTA provisions with the effect of prevailing over the counterpart WTO rules appears to be very difficult, either through legal interpretation or application. On the other hand, unlike often being argued, a close review of WTO case law does not reveal a biased adjudicatory approach against regionalism, as compared to other sources of public international law. When dealing with RTA-related matters, the Appellate Body has been advocating an all-encompassing approach featured by the emphasis on the common intention during the interpretative exercise and the promotion for the WTO built-in mechanisms for valid modification. Such an approach is, to a certain extent, misleading in the RTA –WTO context and has led to certain ill-founded adjudicatory choice.
25
Shinyekwa, Isaac M. B. "Has the East African Community Regional Trade Agreement Created or Diverted Trade? A Gravity Model Analysis." Journal of Sustainable Development 8, no. 9 (November 23, 2015): 129. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jsd.v8n9p129.
Full textAbstract:
The paper investigates the potential impact of the EAC trade agreement (a south-south Regional grouping) on trade creation and diversion. The paper seeks to establish whether the EAC RTA has diverted or created trade using an expanded (augmented) gravity model. The paper departs from the conventional estimation approach that uses average combined trade flows as the dependent variable which is prone to errors and uses exports. We estimate static and dynamic random effects models using a panel data set from 2001 to 2011 on seventy countries that trade mainly with the EAC partner states. Results suggest that indeed the implementation of the EAC treaty has created trade contrary to widely held views that South-South RTAs largely divert trade. There is thus evidence that the EAC, a south-south RTA has been a more trade creating than trade diverting as espoused in the literature.
26
ADLUNG, RUDOLF. "The Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) and Its Compatibility with GATS: An Assessment Based on Current Evidence." World Trade Review 14, no. 04 (June 10, 2015): 617–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745615000294.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractMeasured by the standards of the relevant GATS provisions, in Article V, a very significant share of current regional trade agreements (RTAs) in services is deficient. This includes agreements involving the 50 odd WTO Members that are currently negotiating a Trade in Services Agreement (TISA). While these agreements might have improved significantly on many commitments contained in current GATS schedules, mostly submitted two decades ago, they also introduced new restrictions for which no GATS equivalents exist. Moreover, in a number of cases the parties fiddled with the definitional framework provisions and generally binding obligations and disciplines of the GATS. Should these attempts continue, TISA could not live up to its proclaimed objective of promoting future multilateral liberalization.Nevertheless, a closer look at some RTAs previously concluded by TISA parties also suggests that, with political will, there is a possibility to avoid aberrations: a clause providing that in the event of inconsistencies with WTO/GATS provisions, the latter shall prevail. The incorporation of such a clause might be viewed as a litmus test on participants' continued commitment to multilateralism.
27
Bengoa, Marta, Blanca Sanchez-Robles, and Yochanan Shachmurove. "Do Trade and Investment Agreements Promote Foreign Direct Investment within Latin America? Evidence from a Structural Gravity Model." Mathematics 8, no. 11 (October 30, 2020): 1882. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/math8111882.
Full textAbstract:
Latin America has experienced a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last two decades, in parallel with the ratification of major regional trade agreements (RTAs) and bilateral investment treaties (BITs). This paper uses the latest developments in the structural gravity model theory to study if the co-existence of BITs and two major regional agreements, Mercosur and the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), exerts enhancing or overlapping effects on FDI for eleven countries in Latin America over the period 1995–2018. The study is novel as it accounts for variations in the degree of investment protection across BITs within Latin America by computing a quality index of BITs. It also explores the nature of interactions (enhancing/overlapping effects) between RTAs and BITs. The findings reveal that belonging to a well-established regional trade agreement, such as Mercosur, is significantly more effective than BITs in fostering intra-regional FDI. Phasing-in effects are large and significant and there is evidence of enhancing effects. Results within the bloc are heterogeneous: BITs exert a positive, but small effect, for middle income countries. However, BITs are not effective in attracting FDI in the case of middle to low income countries, unless these countries ratify BITs with a high degree of investment protection.
28
Verma, Renu, and Jaidev Dubey. "What Does Gravity Model Reveal About SAFTA?" Journal of Global Economy 6, no. 3 (September 30, 2010): 185–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1956/jge.v6i3.60.
Full textAbstract:
During last decade, the stalemate in multilateral trade negotiations under the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) regime has provided impetus to the signing of regional trade agreements world over .South Asia is not an exception to this trend and has been involved in setting up its own bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). Most commonly cited cooperation agreements are Agreement on Trade and Commerce between India and Bhutan(1972), India-Nepal Bilateral Trade and Transit Treaties(1991), India–Sri Lanka Bilateral Free Trade Area(1998) Bangkok Agreement (1975), Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation (BIMST-EC-2004) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association of Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC-1997). One of the most significant steps towards regional economic cooperation in the history of South Asian countries, was taken with signing of The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) formed in 1985 with the objective of exploiting “accelerated economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region†for the welfare of the peoples of South Asia. And then seven South Asian countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—initiated a framework for region-wide integration under the South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) in 1995. In order to further cement the regional economic relations and overcome some impediments of SAPTA, the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) was signed in early 2004, which came into force on 1st July 2006. The SAFTA is a parallel initiative to the multilateral trade liberalization commitments of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries. SAFTA aims to reduce tariffs for intraregional trade among the seven SAARC member countries. It has been agreed that for the South Asian countries, Pakistan and India will eliminate all tariffs by 2012, Sri Lanka by 2013 and Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal by 2015. The current paper is an attempt in assessing the potential trade in the region with latest dataset with Gravity model approach.
29
Chen, Min. "The Research on The Evolution of Asia-pacific Regional Economic Integration and Countermeasures." E3S Web of Conferences 218 (2020): 04017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202021804017.
Full textAbstract:
The Asia-pacific region is the area with vast development accompanied by subtle evolution worldwide under frequently changeable global economic circumstance. The development of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in this area is most complicated and comprehensive. The interactive influence of economic growth and trade liberalization, and of the combination and differentiation, has grandly contributed the development of RTAs in the process of regional integration in this area, which has formed the strong driving force of the regional economic integration. On the basis of characteristics of the evolution in the course of Asia-pacific regional economic integration, this paper has analyzed the driving mechanism of the integration evolution and future development direction, then put forward some corresponding countermeasures.
30
COLLINS, David. "Government Procurement with Strings Attached: The Uneven Control of Offsets by the World Trade Organization and Regional Trade Agreements." Asian Journal of International Law 8, no. 2 (December 5, 2016): 301–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2044251316000278.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis paper explores the practice of governments imposing domestic content-based requirements known as “offsets” on suppliers in order to secure public procurement contracts. Known to cause distortions in international trade, offsets are forbidden under the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement and in the procurement chapters of several RTAs, although these restrictions have severe limitations with full offset prohibitions only accepted by a handful of developed countries. Given the sensitivity of procurement policy and the need to stimulate local economies, Asian countries in particular show an unwillingness to address offsets in their international agreements. While other WTO agreements restrain the use of local content rules, these regimes are ill-suited to control the harmful effects of offsets in a procurement context because of their focus on traditional commercial markets. The paper suggests that an enlargement of offset prohibitions would be advisable given the expected expansion of global procurement markets commensurate with economic development.
31
MOSSNER, LOUISE EVA. "The WTO and Regional Trade: a family business? The WTO compatibility of regional trade agreements with non-WTO-members." World Trade Review 13, no. 4 (May 23, 2014): 633–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745613000347.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractNumerous WTO members pursue regional economic integration with both other members and non-WTO-members. The resulting derogation from the most-favoured-nation principle needs to be justified in accordance with the relevant WTO provisions. Regional integration in the service sector is expressly allowed between WTO and non-WTO members pursuant to GATS Article V. In the absence of clear regulation, it has been questioned whether the same is true for regional trade agreements (RTAs) covering trade in goods. Providing a comprehensive interpretation, this paper argues that neither GATT Article XXIV nor the Enabling Clause require the WTO membership of all the parties to an RTA.
32
Zuev, V. N., E. Ya Ostrovskaya, and V. Yu Skryabina. "The EAEU Free Trade Agreements as a New Viable Format for the Russian Trade Policy." Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law 14, no. 3 (July 3, 2021): 63–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2021-14-3-4.
Full textAbstract:
The Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) as a legal format of trade between countries has been actively developed within the last decades. Russian involvement in RTAs until recently was modest. However, after the EAEU creation in 2015, trade policies of the member countries have changed. Setting up the RTAs has become an important priority of the EAEU’s common trade policy. In this study, the assessment is made of the significance for the Russian domestic policies of the already signed and planned FTAs. The focus of the methodology of the study lies in computations of three trade indices: export significance index (suggested by authors and based on the revealed comparative advantage index), trade intensity index and symmetric trade introversion index, which were calculated for the totality of trade partners of Russia for 2019 (193 countries) in order to identify the most promising countries to conclude new FTAs. Authors come to a conclusion that the already signed Russian RTAs and newly planned Russian common FTAs on behalf of the EAEU have a potential to generate trade. Another important result of the study is that it provides the list of the first-priority countries for the new-coming FTAs for Russia and the EAEU partners in terms of efficiency in generating trade, that are - Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Republic of Korea and Mongolia. The authors suggest to make similar calculations for other countries to support the revealed pattern.
33
KIM, JONG BUM. "Exclusionary Rules of Origin of Mega-RTAs under WTO Law: Mega-RTA ‘Fracturing’ Its Overlapping RTA." World Trade Review 17, no. 1 (March 9, 2017): 121–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745617000040.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractA mega-RTA such as the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) may overlap another RTA, with the result that some of the parties to the mega-RTA's overlapping RTA may become common parties, while others may remain as single-agreement parties. If the mega-RTA provides rules of origin based on the change in tariff classification (CTC)-with-exception criterion such as yarn-forward rules, the rules of origin will become more restrictive with respect to the imports of the excluded intermediate goods from the single-agreement parties after the formation of the mega-RTA than before, thus failing to meet the requirement under GATT Article XXIV:5. The exclusionary rules of origin of the mega-RTA draw the trade away from the single-agreement parties, causing ‘fracture’ in the mega-RTA's overlapping RTA. As a legal remedy to the problem, the mega-RTA should eliminate the restriction from the CTC-with-exception criterion by adopting the rules of origin based on the non-exclusionary criteria such as the value-added or the CTC criterion that does not presumptively exclude the use of certain non-originating intermediate inputs.
34
Viaene, Jean-Marie, and José L. Moraga-González. "On the Pro-competitive Effects of Regional Trading Agreements." Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Economics and Business 1, no. 1 (July 1, 2013): 5–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/auseb-2014-0001.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract We explore the pro-competitive effects of trade policies in a model where a competitive fringe of domestic firms compete with a foreign duopoly exporting vertically differentiated goods. We show that discriminatory nonuniform tariff policies are preferred over the Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause because, besides extracting rents from foreign firms, they foster competition in the market. Regional Trading Agreements (RTAs), which favor members relative to non-members, are examples of such nonuniform tariff policies.
35
Dowlah, Caf. "Cross-border labor mobility." Journal of International Trade Law and Policy 13, no. 1 (March 11, 2014): 2–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jitlp-12-2012-0020.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to examine convergence of economic interests – both empirically and theoretically – among labor-abundant (labor-sending) and labor scarce (labor receiving) countries, in the context of Mode 4 of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the WTO. The paper also explores regional trade associations as an interim alternative forum for promoting temporary cross-border labor mobility in the backdrop of failure of multilateral trade negotiations under the Doha Round. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology of the paper involves literature review, an analysis of databases and theoretical findings, and a critical examination of pertinent empirical and secondary information on the subject matter. Findings – The findings reveal that although a convergence of economic interests seem to exist between the labor-sending and receiving countries for promoting cross-border labor mobility, this sector faces formidable trade and non-trade barriers across the world, especially in the developed countries. As multilateral trade negotiations under the Doha Round have failed to make any progress toward liberalization of this sector, regional trade associations, especially those pursued by the USA, Canada and Australia, seem to provide a credible alternative vehicle, as an interim measure, for further liberalization of this sector. These RTAs can serve as examples for other RTAs to promote regional mobility of labor. Research limitations/implications – Cross-border temporary labor mobility, as envisaged by GATs of the WTO, is a burgeoning field. Although some serious works are available, especially sponsored by the World Bank and some leading universities, there is a considerable dearth in this field, especially in respect to contribution from individual scholars and researchers. This paper fills the void to some extent by ascertaining factors and forces that help or hinder cross-border mobility, by pointing out limitations of multilateral trade negotiations under the WTO, and by exploring the regional trade associations as an interim measure for promoting cross-border labor mobility. Practical implications – This paper points out factors and forces that help or hinder cross-border mobility, ascertains crucial limitations of multilateral trade negotiations under the WTO, and explores the RTAs as an interim measure for promoting cross-border labor mobility – all these would have practical policy implications. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies with its critical and careful review of existing literature and available databases, with the determination of factors and forces that help or hinder cross-border mobility in the contemporary world, in pointing out the limitations of multilateral trade negotiations under the WTO, and in exploring the RTAs as an interim measure for promoting cross-border labor mobility.
36
KIM, JONG BUM. "WTO legality of discriminatory liberalization of internal regulations: role of RTA national treatment." World Trade Review 10, no. 4 (October 2011): 473–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745611000322.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractIn this paper, we study the interaction between regionalism and multilateralism by examining the role of national treatment clauses in regional trade agreements (RTAs). We ask whether discriminatory liberalization of internal regulations under RTAs can fulfill the requirements of the GATT Article XXIV defense. In the presence of pre-existing RTAs with RTA national treatment clauses, the GATT Article XXIV defenses for violations of GATT Article I and GATT Article III resulting from preferential liberalization of internal regulations may not succeed because the ‘necessity’ requirement under the Turkey–Textiles Appellate Body test is not likely to be met. The necessity requirement would fail because the RTA party may adopt ‘a reasonable alternative’ of applying the measure non-discriminatorily to all WTO members. RTA national treatment clauses in the pre-existing RTAs may have the effect of binding the RTA parties to liberalize trade-restrictive internal regulations on a non-discriminatory basis.
37
Ewing-Chow, Michael, and Md Rizwanul Islam. "South Asian Free Trade Agreement and the Possibility of Regional Integration within the SAARC: A Historical, Legal and Economic Analysis." Asian Journal of Comparative Law 2 (2007): 1–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2194607800000077.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractPreferential trading exchanges have been a very common phenomenon in today's world. FTAs and RTAs are growing so fast that many academics are arguing that they are creating obstacles towards WTO's multilateral trade liberalization. Although seven nations in the South Asian region have recently executed an FTA, the progress of regional cooperation in this region is rather dismal. The purpose of this paper is to analyze SAFTA and discuss the prospect of more meaningful cooperation within the SAARC.
38
Lee, Hyun-Hoon, Peter J. Lloyd, and Chung-Mo Koo. "New Regionalism in East Asia and its Relationship with the WTO and APEC." International Area Review 5, no. 2 (September 2002): 87–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/223386590200500205.
Full textAbstract:
Since the 1997–98 financial crisis, the countries of East Asia have been giving more attention to ways of expanding intra regional trade that include: the establishment of regional trade agreements (RTAs) such as ASEAN+3; plans to establish a free trade area involving the economies of ASEAN and China; as well as moves towards bilateral trade agreements. The trend towards this new regionalism, the reasons for it, its impact upon the region, its future evolution and prospects are of profound regional, and indeed global, significance This paper reviews the new regionalism in East Asia in recent years, and discusses how it relates with the WTO and APEC.
39
Okoro, Agwu Sunday, Augustine Ujunwa, Farida Umar, and Angela Ukemenam. "Does regional trade promote economic growth? Evidence from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)." Journal of Economics and Development 22, no. 1 (March 25, 2020): 131–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jed-10-2019-0039.
Full textAbstract:
PurposeThis paper examines the impact of regional and non-regional trade on economic growth using annual data from Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries for the period 2007 to 2017.Design/methodology/approachTrade data were decomposed into regional (trade among ECOWAS Member States) and non-regional (trade between ECOWAS Member States and the rest of the world). We used the dynamic system GMM to estimate the models and introduced exchange rate, unemployment rate, population growth and gross capital formation as controlled variables.FindingsThe results revealed that the estimated coefficient of ECOWAS regional trade is statistically significant and positive in predicting growth, while the non-regional trade coefficient is negative and not statistically significant in predicting growth. Other predictors of growth introduced into the model as controlled variables, such as exchange rate, unemployment rate, population growth and gross capital formation, displayed mixed results. More importantly, population growth, unemployment and exchange rate depreciation hurt economic growth, while gross capital formation promotes economic growth.Practical implicationsThe findings provide strong support in favour of the Krugman (1991) hypothesis that regional trade agreements (RTAs) are a better alternative to global trade.Originality/valueOur decision to disaggregate ECOWAS trade is unique and influenced largely by the objective of the study, which is to establish the type of ECOWAS trade that is a good predictor of growth. The evidence from our findings support the theory that RTAs are a better catalyst to economic growth.
40
Zahid, R. M. Ammar, and Muzammil Khurshid. "Impact of Safta on Capital Market Integration of South Asia: Evidence from Cointegration Analysis." Review of Economic and Business Studies 11, no. 1 (June 1, 2018): 79–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/rebs-2018-0065.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractRegional Trade agreements (RTAs) are increasing worldwide because of associated economic benefits such as increased cross border investment and trade, development and integration markets. This paper investigates how South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) impact on the integration of South Asian capital markets. Weekly data of capital market indices of three countries (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) have been analyzed for overall (1998-2017) and two sub periods, 1998-2006 (Pre SAFTA) and 2009-2017 (Post SAFTA). Correlation coefficients, Unit root tests and Johansen and Juselius (JJ) Cointegration technique has been applied to access the integration between the markets. The main findings suggest that integration between the South Asian capital markets has been increased in Post-SAFTA period. The evidence that SAFTA pact results in increased integration of regional capital markets has important implications for investors and policymakers.
41
Adlung, Rudolf. "WTO/GATS-Alien Framework Provisions in RTAs – A Closer Look." World Trade Review 19, no. 4 (July 24, 2019): 493–510. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1474745619000235.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis article deals with a challenge in drafting regional trade agreements (RTAs) in services that has been widely ignored to date: the need to comply with, and ensure consistent use of, GATS-based framework provisions. This includes in particular the requirement for the RTA parties to eliminate substantially all discrimination between their services and service suppliers. Yet the criteria that are used in individual agreements to identify the benchmark services and service suppliers quite often depart from relevant GATS provisions (Article V on economic integration in combination with Article XVII on national treatment). These departures may not only affect the WTO/GATS-compatibility of the RTAs concerned, but contribute to further fragmenting international market conditions. This is particularly unfortunate at a time when regional agreements are the only realistic options to overcome the negotiating stalemate at multilateral level. Hence, given the stakes involved, there is an urgent need for participants to (re-)consider the framework provisions underpinning their RTAs.
42
Wang, Guiguo. "China's FTAs: Legal Characteristics and Implications." American Journal of International Law 105, no. 3 (July 2011): 493–516. http://dx.doi.org/10.5305/amerjintelaw.105.3.0493.
Full textAbstract:
The contemporary world is witnessing an interesting and seemingly contradictory phenomenon. At the same time that globalization continues to develop, the World Trade Organization (WTO), itself a direct result of globalization, can make no progress in the negotiations on its Doha Development Agenda—a perceived further step of globalization. Since deeper integration cannot be achieved at the multilateral level, regional and especially bilateral arrangements for liberalizing trade and investment, most of which are in the form of bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), have become increasingly common. Notwithstanding their bilateral nature, FTAs are often referred to as regional arrangements (RTAs) since WTO members have an obligation to report such agreements to that multilateral system, where they are reviewed by the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements.
43
Puig, Gonzalo Villalta, and Bader Al-Haddab. "The Constitutionalisation of Free Trade in the Gulf Cooperation Council." Arab Law Quarterly 25, no. 3 (2011): 311–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157302511x568547.
Full textAbstract:
The past two decades have witnessed a proliferation of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). This article considers the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (or Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)) as it investigates the claim that RTAs constitutionalise the norm of free trade in supranational jurisdictions. The article suggests that the GCC Member States should take several major initiatives in order to enhance and strengthen their economic integration. They must now fasten their historically slow pace of economic integration and adhere to the time frame for economic and monetary union. The GCC Member States should learn from the experience of the European Union (EU) and transfer greater levels of national sovereignty to the GCC.
44
Mbengue, Makane Moïse. "The Settlement of Trade Disputes." Law & Practice of International Courts and Tribunals 15, no. 2 (September 22, 2016): 207–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15718034-12341320.
Full textAbstract:
This article examines the question of whether the wto enjoys a monopoly over the settlement of trade disputes by examining the historical context of the Dispute Settlement Understanding of the wto, including early dispute resolution under the gatt and the goal behind the transformation leading to the wto of curbing potential unilateralism within the trade regime. It argues that this culminated in the intention to create a centralized rule-based system for the settlement of disputes, rather than an intention to create a monopoly for the wto. The article examines potential threats to the so-called monopoly, in particular with the proliferation of Regional Trade Agreements (rtas) and the development of Mutually Agreed Solutions (mas). It also addresses relevant case law to demonstrate that the wto does not and was not intended to enjoy a monopoly over trade disputes. Rather, the wto pursues the objective of strengthening the multilateral trading system rather than encouraging unilateral trade action, which would not appear to be undermined by resort to the dispute settlement mechanisms of relevant rtas or other dispute settlement mechanisms.
45
Udomjitpittaya, Wisawawit, and Zuhda Mila Fitriana. "ASEAN vs. WTO DSM: Overcoming Jurisdiction Issues to Encourage Regional Trade Agreements’ System Efficacy." Yuridika 35, no. 2 (December 26, 2019): 407. http://dx.doi.org/10.20473/ydk.v35i2.16876.
Full textAbstract:
Dispute settlement mechanism holds an important role in upholding the rights and obligations of member countries under any agreements signed by ASEAN members as well as to resolve any dispute between Members, therefore, AFTA has its own dispute settlement procedure. Unfortunately, it has not been fully efficient to solve the trade dispute within ASEAN countries because the parties tend to bring their disputes to WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). This is because there are some issues and constraints in the AFTA DSM which vary from technical issues to cultural issues. Specifically, although there has not been any overlap issue with the WTO, the AFTA DSM might have the possibility to create such issue due to the lack of efficieny in the legal framework. It also has another major issues such as difficult access for private parties to defend their rights and the disputes in AFTA are rarely resolved because of the ‘ASEAN Way’ method. The ongoing reliance of ASEAN Member States to WTO DSB is an unfortunate situation knowing the fact that the WTO DSB has been struggling with overlap jurisdiction issues with other RTAs throughout the years. The aims of this writing is proposing possible solutions to encourage the efficacy of RTA’s DSB usage particularly in ASEAN Region.
46
S. Kaukab, Rashid. "The Changing Landscape of RTAs and PTAs: Analysis and Implications." LAHORE JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS 19, Special Edition (September 1, 2014): 411–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.35536/lje.2014.v19.isp.a18.
Full textAbstract:
This paper traces the evolution of “discriminatory” international trading arrangements: (i) regional trade agreements (RTAs), which offer their members better access to each other’s markets; and (ii) preferential trade agreements (PTAs), which offer developing and least developed countries (LDCs) nonreciprocal access to certain markets. The number, coverage, and depth of RTAs have increased tremendously in the last 25 years, potentially leading to even deeper integration among dynamic economies. However, countries on the margin of RTA activity may be in danger of not benefitting from the growth in international trade. The number of countries offering PTAs has also increased with many developing countries now providing LDCs with nonreciprocal market access. This significant level of RTA and PTA activity raises serious challenges for countries such as Pakistan, which remain on the margins. Efforts to rectify this should, in the short term, focus on negotiating RTAs with selected countries to build the required capacity for such negotiations and improve Pakistan’s visibility on the RTA landscape. The country must aggressively seek and defend nonreciprocal market access under PTAs, with particular focus on such GSP schemes as offer additional benefits. Medium-term actions should aim to improve competitiveness by investing in infrastructure, energy, and human resources; adopting a coherent and supportive macroeconomic policy framework; and improving law and order. This will help Pakistan enter into and benefit from RTAs with dynamic economies while substantially reducing its dependence on PTAs.
47
Luqman, Afolabi O., Nor Aznin Abu Bakar, and Azman Aziz Mukhriz Izraf. "The Gravity Model Approach: An Application on the Eco Was Trading Bloc." South East European Journal of Economics and Business 11, no. 1 (April 1, 2016): 67–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/jeb-2016-0005.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract This study aims to examine bilateral trade flows across ECOWAS-15 nations with the use of a panel and cross section for the period of 1981-2013. The methodology carried out to achieve this objective involves the use of various techniques of estimation for the gravity model (Static and dynamic). More specifically, this study aims to investigate the formational impact of regional trade integration agreements on trade flows within a group of countries using the same currencies and ECOWAS at large. The main use of regional variables into gravity models is intended to determine whether RTAs lead to trade creation, or diversion. The results show the presence of a strong relationship among the factors of both RIAs and trade flows.
48
Hage, Erika. "Redundancy in the Twenty-First Century: An Examination of and Argument Against APEC." Political Science Undergraduate Review 2, no. 2 (February 15, 2017): 62–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.29173/psur39.
Full textAbstract:
Once poised to become a significant regional trade agreement (RTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) strength has waned in the twentyfirst century, leading many to question its viability and relevance as a cooperation. Taking into account several other RTAs that have arisen in Asia and the Pacific, the paper examines whether APEC still aligns with the interests of the Cooperation’s nations and economies. A closer examination of how APEC is structured reveals several weaknesses inherent in the RTA. These, coupled with the vast geography APEC encompasses, calls into question whether APEC can continue to effectively function in its intended capacity.
49
El Magawry, Dr Soha. "China’s Anti-Dumping (AD) Issues & Their Economic Effects on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs)." آفاق آسيوية 2, no. 2 (December 1, 2017): 19–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.21608/sis.2018.192253.
Full text
50
Park, Innwon, and Soonchan Park. "Free Trade Agreements versus Customs Unions: An Examination of East Asia." Asian Economic Papers 8, no. 2 (June 2009): 119–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/asep.2009.8.2.119.
Full textAbstract:
The spaghetti bowl phenomenon expected from the proliferating East Asian regional trade agreements (RTAs) is worrisome. In particular, the complicated web of hub-and-spoke type of overlapping free trade agreements (FTAs) can result in high costs for verifying rules of origin. As an alternative policy option to avoid the negative effect of trade deflection, customs unions (CUs) should be examined. Most of the theoretical analyses on the formation of CUs highlight stronger positive welfare effects compared to FTAs. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the second-best theory of customs unions. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by applying two methodologies: an ex ante simulation approach and an ex-post econometric approach. We quantitatively estimate the trade effect of CUs and FTAs by adopting a Gravity regression analysis. In general, we find that a CU is a superior type of RTA to an FTA in terms of creating more intra-bloc trade. In addition to analyzing the trade effects of RTAs according to type, we quantitatively evaluate the welfare and output effects of CUs for East Asia (an ASEAN+3 CU and a China-Japan-Korea CU) compared to FTAs by applying a computable general equilibrium model analysis. The East Asian CUs adopt a system of common external tariffs (CET) based on simple-averaged, import-weighted, consumption-weighted, and minimum rates. Overall, we find that the ASEAN+3 CU with the minimum CET are the most desirable type of RTA for both East Asian member countries and the world economy as a whole.