Preferential Trade Agreement Policies for Development : A Handbook
Regional integration is increasingly recognized as a key avenue for promoting economic growth and reducing poverty. Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) have become a central instrument of regional integration in all parts of the world. Beyond mark...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank
2012
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| 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=000386194_20110721014036 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2329 |
| Summary: | Regional integration is increasingly
recognized as a key avenue for promoting economic growth and
reducing poverty. Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) have
become a central instrument of regional integration in all
parts of the world. Beyond market access and the progressive
elimination of barriers at the border, PTAs are increasingly
being used to address a host of behind-the-border issues,
also known as 'deep integration' issues, in order
to promote cooperation in the areas of investment, trade
facilitation, competition policy, and government
procurement, as well as wider social issues related to the
regulation of the environment and the protection of labor
and human rights. The purpose of this handbook is to explore
the various ways in which policy makers and trade
negotiators in the developing world can limit the costs and
maximize the benefits of their regional integration efforts.
PTAs have become a cornerstone of the international trade
system. The surge in their number and scope is fast
reshaping the architecture of the world trading system and
the trading environment of developing countries. The
integration of these diverse agreements into a multilateral
framework that facilitates the expansion of trade is likely
to be one of the main challenges facing the world trading
system in the coming years. This handbook offers an
introduction to the complex world of modern PTAs. It follows
in the steps of earlier, seminal World Bank publications on
the economics and practice of PTAs, notably new dimensions
in regional integration, trade blocs, and regional
integration and development. Supplementing these earlier
publications, this volume aims at taking its audience beyond
the traditional market access paradigm to consider more
broadly and systematically the numerous regulatory policy
dimensions that are contained in modern PTAs. In particular,
it offers a framework for understanding a number of
behind-the-border policies typically covered in PTAs,
including labor mobility, investment, trade facilitation,
competition, and government procurement, as well as other
societal and more normative policies related to intellectual
property, environment, labor rights, and human rights. These
latter are increasingly among the policies driven by
powerful trading blocs as they strive to influence
developing countries and the evolution of the global trading
system. The handbook is also inspired by the numerous
requests received by the World Bank from developing
countries or groups of developing countries worldwide for
advice on PTAs, including those currently being negotiated,
as an aid in understanding the obligations and the possible
economic and development implications of various provisions. |
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