scholarly journals Are Preferential Trading Arrangements Trade-Liberalizing or Protectionist?

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne O Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Preferential Trade ◽  
Multilateral Trading System ◽  
Preferential Trading ◽  
Preferential Trading Arrangements

Preferential trade arrangements, and especially free trade agreements, have mushroomed in importance in the 1990s. This has revived research on the effects of these arrangements, both on the welfare of the member countries and those excluded, and on the momentum for further liberalization of the open multilateral trading system. This paper reviews the analyses and evidence to date as to these effects, showing that analytically anything can happen and that, to date, there has been insufficient experience to draw conclusions from empirical evidence.

scholarly journals Chinese Rationale for Free Trade Agreements

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrukh Kayani ◽  
Zhongxiu Zhao
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Government Interventions ◽  
Multilateral Trading System ◽  
The Government ◽  
East Asian Economies

In East Asia economic regionalism and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are proliferating at tremendous pace despite being the latecomer as compared to Americas and Europe. Proliferation of FTAs in East Asia started to spread after the Asian financial crisis of 1997. The East Asian economies were dissatisfied with the way the IMF handled the crisis, particularly in Thailand and Indonesia. Presently, about over 100 FTAs are at various stages of development in East Asia. China is also actively engaged in FTAs like the other East Asian neighboring countries for achieving multiple objectives. In this paper we analyzed the detailed reasons that why China is pursuing FTAs? Furthermore, it is said that FTAs may jeopardize the multilateral trading system. As FTAs undermine the WTO policy of maintaining a liberal, non discriminatory and multilateral trading system by supporting the government interventions and prudential controls. Thus we would also explore that whether FTAs are building or stumbling blocks?

scholarly journals From Preferential Trade Arrangements to Free Trade Agreements: One of the Downturns of Cooperation in International Relations?

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Jaime Baena-Rojas ◽  
Susana Herrero-Olarte
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Tariff Preference ◽  
Preferential Trade ◽  
Trading Partners

Since the signing of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), preferential trade agreements (PTAs) have been an interesting tool to promote international cooperation through the granting of non-reciprocal and/or unilateral tariff preferences by developed countries to developing countries. These international agreements have tended to generate critical trade dependencies for the receiving countries. Due to the circumstances of world trade and due to the lack of interest of the grantors to maintain this type of tariff preference, these developing countries are forced to renegotiate their PTAs into to free trade agreements (FTAs). To demonstrate this, we conducted a qualitative analysis to characterize the behavior of PTAs and their impact on the configuration of FTAs and to obtain indicators and trends. The results suggested a predominance of FTAs and a decline in PTAs. This was done to maintain access to the markets within those granting countries, which also became the main trading partners of these PTA recipient countries.

Proliferation of Free Trade Agreements and Some Systemic Issues - In Relation to the WTO Disciplines and Development Perspectives

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsuo Matsushita ◽  
Y.S. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Major Part ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trading System ◽  
The World ◽  
Common Interests

In recent decades, free trade agreements have been proliferated and have become a major part of the global trading system, along with the multilateral framework represented by the World Trade Organizations. This article discusses some of the major issues with FTA in relation to the WTO disciplines and also examines their implications for developing countries from the perspective of economic development. A global FTA network is proposed as a means to coordinate different, often conflicting rules among different FTAs and to promote common interests and concerns of developing countries.

scholarly journals Glossary on free trade agreements and health part 1: the shift from multilateralism and the rise of ‘WTO-Plus’ provisions

2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-215104
Author(s):  
Courtney L McNamara ◽  
Ronald Labonte ◽  
Ashley Schram ◽  
Belinda Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Free Trade Agreements ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Multilateral Trade ◽  
The World ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Key Terms

The global trading system has undergone a shift away from multilateral trade negotiations to a ‘spaghetti-bowl’ of regional and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). In this two-part glossary, we discuss why this shift has occurred, focusing on how it poses new challenges for public health. Specifically, we introduce key terms that shape this new trading environment and explain them through a public health lens. Part 1 of this glossary focuses on provisions in FTAs that build on previous agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These provisions are commonly designated as ‘WTO-Plus’. This approach continues into part 2 of the glossary, which also considers components of FTAs that have no precedent within WTO treaties. Following a broader discussion of how the current political context and the COVID-19 pandemic shape the contemporary trade environment, part 2 considers the main areas of trade and health policy incoherence as well as recommendations to address them.

scholarly journals Always look at the bright side of non-delivery: WTO and Preferential Trade Agreements, yesterday and today

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETROS C. MAVROIDIS
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Trade Diversion ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Preferential Trade Agreements ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Preferential Trade ◽  
Do No Harm ◽  
Multilateral Trading System ◽  
The Multilateral Trading System

AbstractThe disciplining of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) by the WTO has been ‘relaxed’ recently as a result of the new context (the Transparency Mechanism) within which notified PTAs are being multilaterally reviewed. This is probably a blessing for a number of reasons, including the success of the multilateral trading system in bringing tariffs down over the years (and the ensuing reduced trade diversion), the fact that modern PTAs deal with many non-trade issues as well (for which no WTO disciplines exist), and the recent empirical literature suggesting overall positive welfare implications for those participating in similar schemes. This paper discusses these and other reasons to support the view that the WTO should rather focus on the multilateral agenda instead of diverting its attention towards disciplining PTAs. In more concrete terms, this paper argues in support of the thesis that the Transparency Mechanism should not be simply a de facto substitute of the previous regime (where outlawing a PTA could not a priori be excluded), but the de jure new forum to discuss PTAs within the multilateral trading system, at least for the time being. A first do-no-harm-policy is one of the rationales for the thesis advocated here.

ARE PREFERENTIAL TRADE AGREEMENTS STUMBLING BLOCKS?

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (04) ◽  
pp. 1250030
Author(s):  
KORNKARUN CHEEWATRAKOOLPONG
Keyword(s):  
Building Blocks ◽  
Trade Agreements ◽  
Preferential Trade Agreements ◽  
Bargaining Game ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Preferential Trade ◽  
Sequential Bargaining ◽  
Multilateral Trading System ◽  
Sequential Bargaining Game

This paper studies the effect of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) on multilateral trading system using a sequential bargaining game. The study considers two formats of PTAs, i.e., when the PTA tariffs are specified before the formation of PTAs and when PTA members have to negotiate PTA tariffs after the formation of PTAs. The study finds that PTAs with specified tariffs can be building blocks to multilateral liberalization while PTAs without specified tariffs are stumbling blocks. The paper also concludes that PTAs can eliminate bargaining inefficiency called forward manipulation when PTA tariffs are specified before PTA negotiation.

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