A Special Safeguard Mechanism for Agricultural Imports and the Management of Reform

The record of traditional safeguard provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization provides useful information about how a special agricultural safeguard might be made effective. The success of existing sa...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Finger, J. Michael
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	ACCESS TO FOREIGN MARKETS ACCOUNTING AD VALOREM AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE AGREEMENT ON SAFEGUARDS AGRICULTURAL NEGOTIATIONS AGRICULTURAL POLICIES AGRICULTURAL PRICES AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL TRADE ANTIDUMPING ANTIDUMPING ACTIONS ANTIDUMPING DUTIES ANTIDUMPING DUTY ANTIDUMPING MEASURES ANTIDUMPING POLICY ANTIDUMPING RULES APPAREL APPLIED TARIFF BALANCE OF PAYMENTS BALANCE OF PAYMENTS PROVISIONS BILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS BUFFER STOCKS CAPITAL GOODS COMMERCE COMMODITY AGREEMENTS COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE COMPETITIVE DISCIPLINE COMPETITIVE MARKETS COMPETITIVE PRICE COMPETITIVENESS CONCESSIONS CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONTRACTING PARTIES COUNTRY MARKETS COUNTRY OF ORIGIN CUSTOMS DETERMINATION OF INJURY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRY DISPUTE SETTLEMENT DISPUTE SETTLEMENT PROCESS DOMESTIC MARKETS DOMESTIC PRICE DOMESTIC PRODUCERS DOMESTIC PRODUCTION DUMPING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ESCAPE CLAUSE EUROPEAN UNION EXCHANGE RATE EXCHANGE RATES EXPORT MARKETS EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES EXPORT RECEIPTS EXPORT RESTRAINTS EXPORT VOLUME EXPORT VOLUMES EXPORTER EXPORTERS EXPORTING COUNTRIES EXPORTS FARMING HOUSEHOLDS FOREIGN COMPETITION FOREIGN COSTS FOREIGN MARKETS FREE TRADE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT FUNGIBLE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS GLOBAL ECONOMY IMPORT DUTY IMPORT POLICIES IMPORT PRICE IMPORT PROHIBITIONS IMPORT RESTRICTION IMPORT RESTRICTIONS IMPORT VOLUME IMPORTED PRODUCTS IMPORTING COUNTRIES IMPORTING COUNTRY IMPORTS INDUSTRIALIZATION INFANT INDUSTRIES INFANT INDUSTRY INJURIOUS DUMPING INSTRUMENT INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT INTERNATIONAL BANK INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS INTERNATIONAL MARKETS INTERNATIONAL TRADE INTERNATIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS INVOICE PRICE LEGAL OBLIGATION MARKET ACCESS MARKET ACCESS NEGOTIATIONS MARKET PRICE MARKETING MERCHANDISE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES NATIONAL SECURITY OPENNESS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESPONSE PREFERENTIAL TRADE PRICE OF IMPORTS QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS REAL INCOME RECIPROCITY RENEGOTIATION RENEGOTIATIONS REPAYMENTS RESERVE RESERVES ROUND AGREEMENTS SAFEGUARD CLAUSE SAFEGUARD MEASURES SPECIAL SAFEGUARD SPECIAL TREATMENT SPREAD STATE TRADING STATE TRADING ENTERPRISES SUPPLIER SUPPLIERS TARIFF BINDINGS TARIFF LINE TARIFF LINES TARIFF NEGOTIATIONS TARIFF POLICY TARIFF RATE TARIFF RATES TARIFF REDUCTION TARIFF REDUCTIONS TARIFF SCHEDULES TARIFF-RATE QUOTA TRADE AGREEMENT TRADE BARRIERS TRADE DATA TRADE LIBERALIZATION TRADE NEGOTIATION TRADE NEGOTIATIONS TRADE POLICIES TRADE POLICY TRADE POLICY REVIEW TRADE REFORM TRADE REMEDIES TRADE RESTRICTIONS TRADING SYSTEM TRANSITION ECONOMIES UNFAIR COMPETITION VALUE OF IMPORTS VER VOLATILITY VOLUNTARY EXPORT RESTRAINT WELFARE LOSS WORLD MARKETS WORLD TRADE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
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=000158349_20090707095400 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4181

Description
Summary:	The record of traditional safeguard provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization provides useful information about how a special agricultural safeguard might be made effective. The success of existing safeguard or flexibility provisions to sustain long-run liberalization programs stems from their requiring objective, transparent, and participatory decisions on the application of the import restrictions they allow. The proposed special agricultural safeguard expands by arithmetic formula the bounds within which a Member may impose a new import restriction. Analysis reported here suggests that the formulas provide a poor guide for policy, indicating that they would frequently prescribe action that is not needed and fail to prescribe action when it would be appropriate. Analysis of the existing agricultural safeguard, to which the special agricultural safeguard is similar, indicates that it has functioned not as an allowance for occasional response to unusual situations but as an expansion of the limits Members have accepted through tariff bindings. To be useful, the special agricultural safeguard should do more than provide formulas for import restrictions. It should provide for objective and participatory processes that would bring forward relevant information and guide an objective and balanced accounting of the interests at play.

A Special Safeguard Mechanism for Agricultural Imports and the Management of Reform

Similar Items