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Aaditya Mattoo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • liberalizing Trade in Services lessons from regional and wto negotiations
    2013
    Co-Authors: Bernard Hoekman, Aaditya Mattoo
    Abstract:

    Liberalization of Trade and investment in Services through Trade agreements has progressed less than Trade in goods. We review the limited progress achieved to date in the WTO and major regional agreements on Services and possible explanations why Trade agreements have not been more effective at integrating the Services markets of participating countries. We argue that the prospects for both Services liberalization and welfare-enhancing regulatory reform in the context of Trade agreements can be enhanced through mechanisms that enhance transparency, dialogue and cooperation between regulators, Trade officials and stakeholders.

  • policy barriers to international Trade in Services evidence from a new database
    The World Bank Economic Review, 2012
    Co-Authors: Ingo Borchert, Batshur Gootiiz, Aaditya Mattoo
    Abstract:

    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 in many cases, these commitments do not reflect actual policy. This paper describes a new initiative to collect comparable information on Trade policies for Services from 103 countries across a range of service sectors and relevant modes of service delivery. The resulting database reveals interesting policy patterns. Although public monopolies are now rare and few Services markets are completely closed, the authors observe numerous second-generation restrictions on entry, ownership, and operations. Even in instances in which there is little explicit discrimination against foreign providers, market access is often unpredictable because the allocation of new licenses remains opaque and highly discretionary in many countries. Across regions, some of the fastest-growing countries in Asia and the oil-rich Gulf states have restrictive policies in Services, whereas some of the poorest countries are remarkably open. Across sectors, professional and transportation Services are among the most protected industries in both industrial and developing countries, whereas retail, telecommunications, and even finance tend to be more open.

  • policy barriers to international Trade in Services evidence from a new database
    2012
    Co-Authors: Ingo Borchert, Batshur Gootiiz, Aaditya Mattoo
    Abstract:

    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.

  • exporting Services a developing country perspective
    World Bank Publications, 2011
    Co-Authors: Arti Goswami Grover, Aaditya Mattoo, Sebastian Saez
    Abstract:

    The book builds on previous research, including that by the World Bank, on Trade in Services. Such research includes analyses of the effect of liberalizing Services in developing countries and sectoral studies on financial, transportation, telecommunication, and professional Services, as well as on international negotiations. The conceptual framework for this book is based on the existing literature on the service sector (Francois and Hoekman 2010; Hoekman and Mattoo 2008). Recognizing the heterogeneity in both, economic structure of developing countries and their service exports, this book takes an eclectic approach to identifying successful strategies. Chapter two surveys the literature on determinants of service exports and presents an illustrative empirical model that synthesizes the available models on Trade in Services. Because Trade data on Services are scarce and have a number of weaknesses, rigorous econometric analysis has serious limits. The subsequent chapters of the book examine the determinants of Trade in Services through case studies of the experiences of countries with varying degrees of success. The book analyzes service export performance for the following countries: Brazil, Chile, the Arab Republic of Egypt, india, Kenya, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The countries were selected on the basis of their performance in global Trade (especially Trade in Services), their regional role, and the availability of data and because they have consciously pursued policies to promote service exports.

  • a handbook of international Trade in Services
    Research Papers in Economics, 2007
    Co-Authors: Aaditya Mattoo, Robert M Stern, Gianni Zanini
    Abstract:

    PART I. THE FRAMEWORK OF Trade in Services 1. Overview 2. The GATS 3. The Basic Economics of Services Trade PART II. ANALYZinG Trade in Services 4. Measuring Trade in Services 5. Empirical Analysis of Barriers to international Services Transactions and the Consequences of Liberalization 6. Regionalism in Services Trade PART III. SECTORAL AND MODAL ANALYSIS 7. Financial Services and international Trade Agreements: The Development Dimension 8. Trade in infrastructure Services: A Conceptual Framework 9. Transport Services 10. Trade in Telecommunications Services 11. Trade in Health Services and the GATS 12. E-Commerce Regulation: New Game, New Rules? 13. The Temporary Movement of Workers to Provide Services (GATS Mode 4) APPENDIX. A GUIDE TO Services NEGOTIATIONS

Antonia Carzaniga - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • mfn exemptions under the general agreement on Trade in Services grandfathers striving for immortality
    Journal of International Economic Law, 2009
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung, Antonia Carzaniga
    Abstract:

    WTO Members have more leeway under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to elude the WTO's basic most favoured nation (MFN) obligation than in merchandise Trade under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. in particular, under the Annex on Article II Exemptions, each Member had the one-off opportunity--at the GATS' entry into force in 1995 or, if later, the date of WTO accession--to seek cover for the retention of whatever departures from MFN treatment. Such MFN exemptions are subject to relatively soft disciplines only. The relevant Annex provides that their duration should not exceed 10 years in principle, and that they be subject to negotiation in any subsequent Trade round. in addition, the GATS allows for departures from MFN treatment, which are not subject to time constraints, including for Economic integration Agreements and recognition measures related to standards, certificates and the like. Over 90 WTO Members (counting EC12 as one) have listed MFN exemptions for close to 500 measures in total. This article discusses their role within the structure of the GATS as well as governments' underlying policy intentions: grandfathering clause or active/offensive policy tool? It further traces the sectoral and modal patterns of current exemptions, their use by different groups of Members and the--limited--changes offered in the Services negotiations to date. The authors submit that the non-availability of new exemptions, including for measures that had escaped Members' attention at the relevant point in time, could have added to the popularity of potential substitutes (including in the context of Economic integration Agreements), promoted an excessively broad interpretation of existing exemptions and discouraged governments from rescinding those that had served their initial purpose. A more flexible approach might thus be warranted; possible options are being discussed. Oxford University Press 2009, all rights reserved, Oxford University Press.

  • mfn exemptions under the general agreement on Trade in Services grandfathers striving for immortality
    Social Science Research Network, 2009
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung, Antonia Carzaniga
    Abstract:

    WTO Members have more leeway under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to elude the WTO's basic most favoured nation (MFN) obligation than in merchandise Trade under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. in particular, under the Annex on Article II Exemptions, each Member had the one-off opportunity-at the GATS’ entry into force in 1995 or, if later, the date of WTO accession-to seek cover for the retention of whatever departures from MFN treatment. Such MFN exemptions are subject to relatively soft disciplines only. The relevant Annex provides that their duration should not exceed 10 years in principle, and that they be subject to negotiation in any subsequent Trade round. in addition, the GATS allows for departures from MFN treatment, which are not subject to time constraints, including for Economic integration Agreements and recognition measures related to standards, certificates and the like. Over 90 WTO Members (counting EC12 as one) have listed MFN exemptions for close to 500 measures in total. This article discusses their role within the structure of the GATS as well as governments’ underlying policy intentions: grandfathering clause or active/offensive policy tool? It further traces the sectoral and modal patterns of current exemptions, their use by different groups of Members and the-limited-changes offered in the Services negotiations to date. The authors submit that the non-availability of new exemptions, including for measures that had escaped Members’ attention at the relevant point in time, could have added to the popularity of potential substitutes (including in the context of Economic integration Agreements), promoted an excessively broad interpretation of existing exemptions and discouraged governments from rescinding those that had served their initial purpose. A more flexible approach might thus be warranted; possible options are being discussed.

  • health Services under the general agreement on Trade in Services
    Bulletin of The World Health Organization, 2001
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung, Antonia Carzaniga
    Abstract:

    The potential for Trade in health Services has expanded rapidly in recent decades. More efficient communication systems have helped to reduce distance-related barriers to Trade; rising incomes and enhanced information have increased the mobility of patients; and internal cost pressures have led various governments to consider possibilities for increased private participation. As yet, however, health Services have played only a modest role in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It is possible that Members of the World Trade Organization have been discouraged from undertaking access commitments by the novelty of the Agreement, coordination problems between relevant agencies, widespread inexperience in concepts of Services Trade, a traditionally strong degree of government involvement in the health sector, and concerns about basic quality and social objectives. However, more than five years have passed since GATS entered into force, allowing hesitant administrations to familiarize themselves with its main elements and its operation in practice. The present paper is intended to contribute to this process. It provides an overview of the basic structure of GATS and of the patterns of current commitments in health Services and of limitations frequently used in this context. The concluding section discusses possibilities of pursuing basic policy objectives in a more open environment and indicates issues that may have to be dealt with in current negotiations on Services.

Robert W Staiger - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • the economic structure of international Trade in Services agreements
    Journal of Political Economy, 2021
    Co-Authors: Robert W Staiger, Alan O Sykes
    Abstract:

    The existing economics literature on international Trade agreements focuses on tariff agreements covering Trade in goods and explains core features of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GA...

  • the economic structure of international Trade in Services agreements
    Social Science Research Network, 2016
    Co-Authors: Robert W Staiger, Alan O Sykes
    Abstract:

    The existing economics literature on international Trade agreements focuses on tariff agreements covering Trade in goods, and offers an explanation for core features of the GATT. Tariffs play almost no role in Services markets, however, and the existing models cannot account for the dramatically different approach to Trade liberalization in agreements such as the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). We develop a model through which key features of GATS, including its emphasis on "deep integration" – sector-by-sector negotiations on behind the border policy instruments – can be understood. And we use this model to suggest that there may also be a middle ground for Services Trade liberalization between the GATS deep-integration approach and the traditional border-policy focused "shallow integration" approach of GATT.institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.

  • the economic structure of international Trade in Services agreements
    Research Papers in Economics, 2016
    Co-Authors: Robert W Staiger, Alan O Sykes
    Abstract:

    The existing economics literature on international Trade agreements focuses on tariff agreements covering Trade in goods, and offers an explanation for core features of the GATT. Tariffs play almost no role in Services markets, however, and the existing models cannot account for the dramatically different approach to Trade liberalization in agreements such as the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). We develop a model through which key features of GATS, including its emphasis on "deep integration" – sector-by-sector negotiations on behind the border policy instruments – can be understood. And we use this model to suggest that there may also be a middle ground for Services Trade liberalization between the GATS deep-integration approach and the traditional border-policy focused "shallow integration" approach of GATT.

Mark Wheeler - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

Rudolf Adlung - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • export policies and the general agreement on Trade in Services
    Journal of International Economic Law, 2015
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung
    Abstract:

    Compared to its counterpart in merchandise Trade, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) of 1947, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) contains a variety of conceptual innovations. in addition to cross-border supplies, the Agreement covers three additional types of transactions, i.e. supplies in a foreign country to consumers that have moved abroad as well as supplies provided by foreign-owned firms and foreign service professionals in a host market. At the same time, the GATS accommodates a range of measures, including the use of quantitative restrictions and discriminatory taxes and subsidies, which is clearly constrained under the GATT. Most notably in the current context, the Agreement offers particularly broad scope for various types of export-related interventions, regardless of ensuing market distortions. The social and economic relevance of such measures, not only in sectors such as education or health, but also in producer-oriented Services, including transport, telecommunications or finance, is immediately evident. This article seeks to provide an overview and assessment in the light of relevant GATS provisions and WTO dispute rulings.

  • mfn exemptions under the general agreement on Trade in Services grandfathers striving for immortality
    Social Science Research Network, 2009
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung, Antonia Carzaniga
    Abstract:

    WTO Members have more leeway under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to elude the WTO's basic most favoured nation (MFN) obligation than in merchandise Trade under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. in particular, under the Annex on Article II Exemptions, each Member had the one-off opportunity-at the GATS’ entry into force in 1995 or, if later, the date of WTO accession-to seek cover for the retention of whatever departures from MFN treatment. Such MFN exemptions are subject to relatively soft disciplines only. The relevant Annex provides that their duration should not exceed 10 years in principle, and that they be subject to negotiation in any subsequent Trade round. in addition, the GATS allows for departures from MFN treatment, which are not subject to time constraints, including for Economic integration Agreements and recognition measures related to standards, certificates and the like. Over 90 WTO Members (counting EC12 as one) have listed MFN exemptions for close to 500 measures in total. This article discusses their role within the structure of the GATS as well as governments’ underlying policy intentions: grandfathering clause or active/offensive policy tool? It further traces the sectoral and modal patterns of current exemptions, their use by different groups of Members and the-limited-changes offered in the Services negotiations to date. The authors submit that the non-availability of new exemptions, including for measures that had escaped Members’ attention at the relevant point in time, could have added to the popularity of potential substitutes (including in the context of Economic integration Agreements), promoted an excessively broad interpretation of existing exemptions and discouraged governments from rescinding those that had served their initial purpose. A more flexible approach might thus be warranted; possible options are being discussed.

  • mfn exemptions under the general agreement on Trade in Services grandfathers striving for immortality
    Journal of International Economic Law, 2009
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung, Antonia Carzaniga
    Abstract:

    WTO Members have more leeway under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) to elude the WTO's basic most favoured nation (MFN) obligation than in merchandise Trade under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. in particular, under the Annex on Article II Exemptions, each Member had the one-off opportunity--at the GATS' entry into force in 1995 or, if later, the date of WTO accession--to seek cover for the retention of whatever departures from MFN treatment. Such MFN exemptions are subject to relatively soft disciplines only. The relevant Annex provides that their duration should not exceed 10 years in principle, and that they be subject to negotiation in any subsequent Trade round. in addition, the GATS allows for departures from MFN treatment, which are not subject to time constraints, including for Economic integration Agreements and recognition measures related to standards, certificates and the like. Over 90 WTO Members (counting EC12 as one) have listed MFN exemptions for close to 500 measures in total. This article discusses their role within the structure of the GATS as well as governments' underlying policy intentions: grandfathering clause or active/offensive policy tool? It further traces the sectoral and modal patterns of current exemptions, their use by different groups of Members and the--limited--changes offered in the Services negotiations to date. The authors submit that the non-availability of new exemptions, including for measures that had escaped Members' attention at the relevant point in time, could have added to the popularity of potential substitutes (including in the context of Economic integration Agreements), promoted an excessively broad interpretation of existing exemptions and discouraged governments from rescinding those that had served their initial purpose. A more flexible approach might thus be warranted; possible options are being discussed. Oxford University Press 2009, all rights reserved, Oxford University Press.

  • health Services under the general agreement on Trade in Services
    Bulletin of The World Health Organization, 2001
    Co-Authors: Rudolf Adlung, Antonia Carzaniga
    Abstract:

    The potential for Trade in health Services has expanded rapidly in recent decades. More efficient communication systems have helped to reduce distance-related barriers to Trade; rising incomes and enhanced information have increased the mobility of patients; and internal cost pressures have led various governments to consider possibilities for increased private participation. As yet, however, health Services have played only a modest role in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). It is possible that Members of the World Trade Organization have been discouraged from undertaking access commitments by the novelty of the Agreement, coordination problems between relevant agencies, widespread inexperience in concepts of Services Trade, a traditionally strong degree of government involvement in the health sector, and concerns about basic quality and social objectives. However, more than five years have passed since GATS entered into force, allowing hesitant administrations to familiarize themselves with its main elements and its operation in practice. The present paper is intended to contribute to this process. It provides an overview of the basic structure of GATS and of the patterns of current commitments in health Services and of limitations frequently used in this context. The concluding section discusses possibilities of pursuing basic policy objectives in a more open environment and indicates issues that may have to be dealt with in current negotiations on Services.