Suchergebnisse

Résumé L'échec de Cancun a généré une double frustration pour les pays africains : d'une part, leurs attentes – comme sur le coton – n'ont pas été satisfaites ; d'autre part, les balbutiements du dialogue et de la démocratie ont fragilisé le système commercial multilatéral, au profit des négociations bilatérales et régionales, qui sont moins favorables aux pays les plus pauvres. Afin d'éviter la marginalisation de l'Afrique, une nouvelle stratégie commerciale doit être élaborée, notamment en partenariat avec l'autre grand perdant de Cancun : l'Union européenne.

Der Autor diskutiert die Ergebnisse der WTO-Konferenz von Cancun (Mexico) im Oktober 2003 im Hinblick auf die Entwicklungsperspektiven Afrikas und afrikanischer Staaten. Die Hoffnung auf generelle Handelserleichterungen habe sich nicht erfüllt, das Nichterreichen globaler Regelungen zwinge zu weniger günstigen Regelungen auf bilateraler und regionaler Grundlage. Notwendig sei die Ausarbeitung einer neuen Handelsstrategie, möglicherweise in Zusammenarbeit mit der EU, die ebenfalls eine Verliererin der Cancun-Konferenz gewesen sei. (DÜI-Kör)

The world is in the midst of a sporadic and painful recovery from the most severe economic crisis since the 1930s' Great Depression. The unprecedented scale of the crisis and the speed of its transmission have revealed the interdependence of the global economy and the increasing reliance by businesses on global value chains (GVCs). These chains represent the process of ever-finer specialization and geographic fragmentation of production, with the more labor-intensive portions transferred to developing countries. As the recovery unfolds, it is time to take stock of the aftereffects and to draw lessons for the future. Have we experienced the first global crisis of the 21st century or a more structural crisis of globalization? Will global trade, demand, and production look the same as before, or have fundamental changes occurred? How have lead firms responded to the crisis? Have they changed their supply chain strategies? Who are the winners and losers of the crisis? Where are the engines of recovery?Global Value Chains in a Postcrisis World: A Development Perspective attempts to answer these questions by analyzing business reactions to the crisis through the lens of GVCs. After reviewing the mechanisms underpinning the transmission of economic shocks in a world economy where trade and GVCs play increasing roles, the book assesses the impact of the crisis on global trade, production, and demand in a variety of sectors, including apparel, automobiles, electronics, commodities, and off-shore services. The book offers insights on the challenges and opportunities for developing countries, with a particular focus on entry and upgrading possibilities in GVCs postcrisis. Business strategies and related changes in GVCs are also examined, and the book offers concrete policy recommendations and suggests a number of interventions that would allow developing

The services sector is key to economic growth, competitiveness, and poverty alleviation. Comprising more than two-thirds of the world economy, services are now commonly traded across borders, helped by technological progress and the increased mobility of persons. In recent years, a number of developing countries have looked at trade in services as a means to both respond to domestic supply shortages and to diversify and boost exports. Any country can tap into the trade potential of services, but not every country can become a services hub across sectors. The opening of the services sector potentially comes with large benefits, but also fears and costs that should not be overlooked. This book provides useful guidelines for the assessment of a country's trade potential, and a roadmap for successful opening and export promotion in select services sectors. It looks at both the effects of increased imports and exports, and provides concrete examples of developing country approaches that have either succeeded or failed to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of opening. It focuses on sectors that have been rarely analyzed through the trade lens, and/or have a fast growing trade potential for developing countries. These sectors are: accounting, construction, distribution, engineering, environmental, health, information technology, and legal services. It is designed for non-trade specialists to understand how trade can help improve access to key services in developing countries, and for trade specialists to understand the specific characteristics of each individual sector. It will be a useful tool for governments to design successful trade opening or promotion strategies, and for the private sector and consumers to advocate sound domestic policy reforms accompanying an offensive trade agenda.

In this essential two-volume collection, the editors include key papers on the domestic and global challenges of WTO accession. The first volume explores the intertwined economic, legal, and political dimensions of the process. The second volume explores country case studies and sector-specific issues such as agriculture, services and intellectual property. This comprehensive anthology is an invaluable reference source for scholars and practitioners grappling with the increasing complexity of WTO accession