Policy Barriers to International Trade in Services : Evidence from a New Database

Surprisingly little is known about policies that affect international trade in services. Previous analyses have focused on policy commitments made by countries in international agreements but these commitments do not in many cases reflect actual po...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Borchert, Ingo, Gootiiz, Batshur, Mattoo, Aaditya
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:	ACCOUNTABILITY ACCOUNTING ACCOUNTING SERVICES ADVERSE EFFECTS AIR AIR PASSENGER AIR SERVICES ALTERNATIVE MODES ASSETS AUDITING AUTOMOBILE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE AUXILIARY SERVICES BANK BRANCHES BANK LENDING BANK LOANS BANKING SECTOR BANKING SERVICES BANKING SYSTEM BANKS BARRIER BRANCH BANKING BRANCH OFFICE CAPITAL ADEQUACY CAPITAL INFLOWS CAPITAL MOBILITY CARRIERS CARS CENTRAL BANK COMMERCIAL PRESENCE CONFIDENCE CONSTRUCTION SERVICES CONSUMPTION ABROAD COUNTRY FIXED EFFECTS COUNTRY-LEVEL INDICATORS CROSS-BORDER DELIVERY CROSS-BORDER SUPPLY CROSS-BORDER TRADE DEPOSIT DEPOSITS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DISCRETION DOMESTIC PROVIDERS DOMESTIC REGULATIONS DRIVING ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE EMPLOYMENT ENTRY RESTRICTIONS EQUITY FLOWS EXPORT GROWTH EXTERNALITIES FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL SERVICES FOREIGN BANK FOREIGN BANKS FOREIGN COMPANIES FOREIGN COMPETITION FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT FOREIGN ENTRY FOREIGN EQUITY FOREIGN EQUITY PARTICIPATION FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOREIGN FIRMS FOREIGN INVESTMENT FOREIGN INVESTMENTS FOREIGN INVESTORS FOREIGN MARKETS FOREIGN OWNERSHIP FOREIGN PARTICIPATION FOREIGN PROFESSIONALS FOREIGN PROVIDERS FOREIGN SERVICE PROVIDERS FOREIGN SERVICES FOREIGN SUPPLIER FOREIGN SUPPLIERS FREIGHT FREIGHT SECTOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT HOME COUNTRY IMPORTANCE OF SERVICES INCOME INCOME GROUPS INCREMENTAL BENEFITS INDUSTRIAL COUNTRIES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE INSURANCE SERVICES INSURER INTERNATIONAL LAW INTERNATIONAL TRADE INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN SERVICES INVESTIGATION INVESTMENT FLOW ISLAMIC BANKING JOINT VENTURE JUSTICE LABOR MARKET LAWS LAWYERS LIBERALIZATION LICENSING PROCESS LIFE INSURANCE LOCAL LAW MARKET ACCESS MARKET ENTRY MARKET REGULATION MARKET SHARE MARKET STRUCTURE MARKET STRUCTURES MFN MOBILITY MODES OF SUPPLY MONOPOLIES MOVEMENT OF NATURAL PERSONS NATIONAL TREATMENT NON-DISCRIMINATORY MEASURES OUTPUT OUTSOURCING PARTICULAR COUNTRY PASSENGER SERVICES POPULATION DENSITY PORT SERVICES PORTFOLIO PREFERENTIAL PREFERENTIAL ARRANGEMENTS PRIVATE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS PRO-COMPETITIVE REGULATION PRODUCTIVITY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES PROPERTY OWNERSHIP PROVISION OF SERVICES PUBLIC MONOPOLIES QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS RAIL RAIL FREIGHT RAIL TRACK RAILWAY RAPID DEVELOPMENT REGULATOR REGULATORS REGULATORY AUTHORITY REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS REINSURANCE RETAIL BANKING ROAD ROUTE SERVICE DELIVERY SERVICE SECTOR SERVICE SECTORS SERVICE SUPPLIERS SERVICES AGREEMENTS SERVICES SECTOR SERVICES SECTORS SERVICES SUPPLIERS SERVICES TRADE SUBSIDIARIES SUBSIDIARY TAX TRADE FLOW TRADE FLOWS TRADE RESTRICTIONS TRAFFIC TRANSPARENCY TRANSPORT TRANSPORT SECTOR TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TRUE TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS VOLATILITY WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS WORLD TRADE WTO
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/06/16441100/policy-barriers-international-trade-services-evidence-new-database http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9314

Description
Summary:	Surprisingly little is known about policies that affect international trade in services. Previous analyses have focused on policy commitments made by countries in international agreements but these commitments do not in many cases reflect actual policy. This paper describes a new initiative to collect comparable information on services trade policies for 103 countries, across a range of service sectors and the relevant modes of service delivery. The resultant database reveals interesting patterns in policy. Across regions, some of the fastest growing countries in Asia and the oil-rich Gulf states have the most restrictive policies in services, whereas some of the poorest countries are remarkably open. Across sectors, professional and transportation services are among the most protected in both industrial and developing countries, while retail, telecommunications and even finance tend to be more open. An illustrative set of results suggests that trade policies matter for investment flows and access to services. In particular, restrictions on foreign acquisitions, discrimination in licensing, restrictions on the repatriation of earnings and lack of legal recourse all have a significant and sizable negative effect, reducing the expected value of sectoral foreign investment by $2.2 billion over a 7-year period, compared with "open" policy regimes. In terms of access to services, credit as a share of gross domestic product is on average 3.3 percentage points lower in countries with major restrictions on the establishment of foreign banks as compared with those that only impose operational restrictions.

Policy Barriers to International Trade in Services : Evidence from a New Database

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