Assessing the Doha Round: Market access, transactions costs and aid for trade facilitation

This paper compares the predicted trade impacts of a successful Doha Round with the trade effects of actions aimed at reducing domestic trade costs for traders in developing countries and the world as a whole. We show that a relatively small reduction in trade costs will generate trade impacts that are larger than what is likely to emerge even from a relatively ambitious Doha Round market access outcome. This illustrates the importance of complementing market access commitments with measures to reduce trade costs in developing countries – which is the objective of the trade facilitation negotiations in the Doha Round – and additional aid for trade to assist countries in covering the costs of improving trade-related procedures and processes.

[1]  S. Sáez.  Managing trade policy during the economic crisis , 2009 .

[2]  A. Venables,et al.  Infrastructure, Geographical Disadvantage, Transport Costs, and Trade , 2001 .

[3]  Alessandro Nicita,et al.  Estimating Trade Restrictiveness Indices , 2006 .

[4]  James E. Anderson,et al.  Insecurity and the Pattern of Trade: An Empirical Investigation , 2002, Review of Economics and Statistics.

[5]  A. Mattoo,et al.  Conclude Doha: it matters! , 2009, World Trade Review.

[6]  W. Martin,et al.  Implications of the 2008 Doha Draft Agricultural and NAMA Market Access Modalities for Developing Countries , 2008 .

[7]  A. Mattoo,et al.  The Doha Development Agenda: What's on the table? , 2008 .

[8]  The Potential Cost of a Failed Doha Round , 2009 .

[9]  Ben Shepherd.  Logistics costs and competitiveness : measurement and trade policy applications , 2011 .

[10]  Alessandro Nicita,et al.  Trade Policy, Trade Costs, and Developing Country Trade , 2008 .

[11]  Stephen J. Mraz.  Smoke on the water , 2006 .

[12]  W. Martin,et al.  Implications of the 2008 Doha Draft Agricultural and NAMA Modalities for Developing Countries , 2008 .

[13]  Patrick Messerlin,et al.  The Doha Round , 2010 .

[14]  Catherine L. Mann,et al.  Trade Facilitation and Economic Development : New Approach to Quantifying the Impact , 2003 .

[15]  J. Francois,et al.  Institutions, Infrastructure and Trade , 2007 .

[16]  S. Claessens.  Trade Implications of Policy Responses to the Crisis , 2009 .

[17]  G. Koopmann,et al.  Aid for trade and the political economy of trade liberalization , 2010 .

[18]  P. Messerlin.  Walking a Tightrope: World Trade in Manufacturing and the Benefits of Binding , 2008 .