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Can Germany’s New Coalition Modernize the Country to Meet 21st Century Challenges?

Posted on Dec 7 2021 by Sarah Warner

Andreas Freytag, Professor and Chair of Economic Policy, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena and Visiting Professor with IIT.
Since Wednesday, the traffic light coalition has been in place and the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been elected. This will mark the end of a long Merkel era and the beginning of a new era under Social Democratic leadership.

Back from the Brink! The WTO gets on with Serious Business.

Posted on Dec 3 2021 by Sarah Warner

Anthony Patrick Dela Pena Chua is Lead Staffer to both the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Philippines and the Philippine Services Coalition.
Jane Drake-Brockman is Founder and Director of the Australian Services Roundtable and a co-convenor of the Asia Pacific Services Coalition.
Some matters are too important and the benefits too great for the global trading community, to let another postponement of the WTO Ministerial Conference get in the way of timely joint action.

Trade, Technology and Security: Exploring the Linkages.

Posted on Dec 2 2021 by Sarah Warner

WORKING PAPER 06
Over the past decade China has developed into a technological competitor during a period of increased geopolitical tensions with its major trading partners. This has resulted in increasing securitization of trade and technology as well as growing techno-nationalism. This working paper explores the linkages between trade, technology and security, focusing on application of national security provisions, how the latter are justified or in breach of existing international trade rules, and potential solutions for balancing the multilateral principle of non-discrimination with the imperative of upholding national security.

Rethinking special and differential treatment in the World Trade Organization

Posted on Nov 29 2021 by Sarah Warner

WORKING PAPER 05
The overarching principle of SDT is encapsulated in paragraph 1 of the preamble to the Marrakesh Agreement (1994), establishing the WTO and specifying its functions. The WTO Secretariat lists 155 SDT provisions in the WTO Agreements. Development issues have been dealt with in the WTO for over sixty-years in subsequent ‘Trade Rounds’ and have concluded with varying degrees of success.

Special and differential treatment (SDT) in the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Posted on Nov 22 2021 by Sarah Warner

Monday 22 November, 2021. The Institute for International Trade (IIT) presented their findings of a global opinion survey on rethinking Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The webinar was held intention of enhancing understanding of the pertinent issues pertaining to, and different perspectives on, Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) amongst key stakeholders in international trade policy.

Why Abandoning the WTO E Commerce Moratorium is a Terrible Idea

Posted on Nov 22 2021 by Sarah Warner

Jane Drake-Brockman is Industry Professor, Institute for International Trade, Convenor of the JM Network, Trade & Investment in Services Associates (TIISA), Member of the G20 Trade and Investment Research Network (TIRN) and Founder and Director of the Australian Services Roundtable.
Services stakeholders around the world are banding together as never before in a last-ditch effort in the lead up to the 12^th WTO Ministerial Session in Geneva on 30 November. Many issues are at stake, but one stands on a pedestal of its own; the WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions.

Government subsidies and environmental costs

Posted on Nov 4 2021 by Sarah Warner

Ken Ash is an Independent Consultant, IIT Visiting Fellow, and former OECD Director of Trade and Agriculture.
The economic and trade distortions caused by ill-conceived government support for sectors ranging from agriculture, fisheries and fossil fuels to aluminium (2019, 2021), steel and semiconductors are enormous. While this is explicitly recognized by G7, G20 and APEC member governments, amongst others, the pace of subsidy reform remains glacial.

Webinar: An Enhanced Measure of Regional Cooperation and Integration

Posted on Oct 26 2021 by Sarah Warner

Webinar: 7 October, 2021. Regional cooperation and integration is rapidly evolving as new forms of digital connectivity and environmental cooperation emerge. How will these impact RCI dynamics and the pace of progress for Asia and the Pacific?

Prospects for future UK-Australia Services Trade

Posted on Oct 21 2021 by Sarah Warner

George Riddell Director of Trade Strategy at EY, London.
On 17 June 2021, Australia and the United Kingdom announced an Agreement in Principle on a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Since then, negotiators on both sides have been hammering out the details of the legal text of the agreement. This article assesses the prospects for services trade between the countries.

COVID-19 and Global Sea Transport

Posted on Oct 20 2021 by Sarah Warner

Douglas C. Lippoldt and Carlos A. Primo Braga
Maritime shipping has been at the very core of the globalisation process. It is a carefully balanced system that maximises capacity utilisation while adapting to annual shifts in demand and long-term trends in economic development. COVID-19 has delivered a dramatic shock to the system. This brief assesses the damage done thus far, and then identifies a number of policy interventions that can improve the resilience of global shipping, boosting the stability of global supply chains.

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