Behind-the-Border Policies: Assessing and Addressing Non-Tariff Measures

Description

One feature of globalization is that barriers to international competition have come to be associated with differences in regulatory policies that increase the costs of engaging in cross-border sales. Such non-tariff measures (NTMs) have attracted growing attention from policy makers and raise important questions for policy research. This book provides a valuable overview of key issues related to NTMs and domestic regulation. It covers the classification and definition of NTMs, new sources of data on NTMs, the impacts of (different types of) NTMs, the challenges that confront efforts to reduce the negative trade effects of NTMs and what can and should be done through international cooperation to promote good practices in the design and implementation of NTMs. The contributors comprise a mix of leading trade policy experts - both academics and practitioners - and younger researchers who have specialized in the analysis of NTMs.

Joseph Francois is Professor of Economics and Managing Director of the World Trade Institute, Universitat Bern, Switzerland. He is a Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) research fellow, and co-founder of the European Trade Study Group (ETSG). He has published widely on trade, the role of services in growth and development, and sustainability aspects of globalization. Bernard Hoekman is Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and Dean, External Relations, at the European University Institute, Florence. A Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) research fellow, he has published widely on trade and development, trade in services, and the multilateral trading system.

'Ever since the Kennedy Round in the 1960s, trade regulation, with the decline of tariffs in industrial goods, moved towards non-tariff measures and regulatory affairs. Today, most of such measures pertain to the realm of what traditionally was domestic law, now addressed in international agreements. They fully operate within national jurisdictions and go way beyond border measures. This volume offers an insightful analysis, mainly from economics and international relations theory, of such behind-the-border issues and the challenges they pose for regulatory cooperation, the future of the WTO and multilateralism. It rightly stresses the limits of bilateral and preferential trade agreements in addressing such barriers. It argues for regulatory cooperation in harnessing global value chains. The book is of interest to negotiators and also offers new perspective to the legal community.' Thomas Cottier, Emeritus Professor of International Economic Law, World Trade Institute, Universitat Bern 'Non-tariff measures dominate discussions about international trade policy, and yet they almost defy measurement and effective analysis. This book presents a state-of-the-art account of how to tackle these problems both conceptually and practically. It is a tour de force and belongs not only on all trade analysts' bookshelves but also on their desks.' L. Alan Winters, Director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory, University of Sussex 'This volume brings together cutting-edge research on the interface between domestic regulations and trade. With a particular focus on the European Union, its insights are relevant more widely. It brings together recent empirical research on non-tariff measures affecting trade in goods and services and advances innovative ideas to reduce unnecessary trade impacts - both by national and international actions. The volume is a rich source of inspiration for researchers and policy makers: it provides insights from applying advanced new methods to assess the trade and economic impacts of non-tariff measures, documents the increasingly rich data sources and discusses the international regulatory and legal architecture.' Frank von Tongeren Frank von Tongeren, Head of the Policies in Trade and Agriculture Division Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD 'Joseph Francois and Bernard Hoekman are two of the world's foremost authorities on international trade policy. They have each spent decades analyzing the economic cost of trade barriers, both from within academia and as part of key global institutions including the World Bank and the WTO. In this book they bring together an outstanding team of authors to address the thorny issues pertaining to non-tariff measures and regulatory barriers to trade, including definition, measurement, quantification of impacts and potential for future reforms. This book will be essential reading for the next generation of students and policy makers seeking to achieve a more open world economy.' Thomas W. Hertel, Executive Director of the Center for Global Trade Analysis (GTAP), Purdue University, Indiana 'This timely and comprehensive volume deals with a topic that is at the forefront of current trade policy discussions. Behind-the-border policies touch upon such sensitive areas as public health and environmental protection. They play a role in the pursuit of national policy objectives like innovation, provision of infrastructure or development. But many of them also affect trade flows. As such regulations, subsidies and other policies that appear to have a perfectly domestic character, suddenly become the subject of trade tensions. This volume examines behind-the-border policies from different angles and through different methodological lenses. As such it plays a welcome role in shedding light on a truly complex issue that is critical for the sustainability of the multilateral trading system.' Marion Jansen, Director, Division of Market Development, International Trade Centre