Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say
THE DOHA ROUND: “DEATH-DEFYING AGENDA” OR “DON’T DO IT AGAIN?” By Stuart Harbinson. European Centre for International Political Economy, 2009. Almost eight years after the launch of the Doha Round, the WTO negotiations remain mired in a swamp of detail, with many participants unwilling or unable to make the hard decisions which would bring the Round to a conclusion. Meanwhile, the world has changed dramatically with the onset of a global economic crisis of propor¬tions seldom, if ever, seen before. This paper examines the origins of the Round and concludes that at the time, its launch was well-founded. It traces the negotiations since then and finds that while progress has been incremental, it has also been painfully slow. Decisive action has been avoided. The paper addresses three issues: whether, in current economic circumstances and given the long but inconclusive history of the negotiations, it is important to complete the Doha Round and how this could be achieved; whether there are alternative approaches to WTO negotia¬tions that could be explored for the future; and what a future negotiating agenda might look like. It concludes with some reflections on the prospects for the WTO at the present juncture in its short history. To access this publication, visit http://www.ecipe.org/the-doha-round-a-death-defying-act/PDF
RETHINKING FOREIGN INVESTMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS FROM LATIN AMERICA. Edited by Kevin P. Gallagher and Daniel Chudnovsky. Anthem Press, 2009. This book consists of a series of essays critiquing foreign direct investment in Latin America. After almost 25 years of experimenting with the neo-liberal economic reforms collectively known as “Washington Consensus” policies, Latin Americans are starting to re-assess the merits of these policies - at the voting booth. Many newly elected governments are beginning to scrutinise the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in particular, and some nations have gone so far as to nationalise foreign firms. Without endorsing or condoning the actions taken by these governments, this volume demonstrates that it is quite rational for governments in the region to re-evaluate the role of FDI for their development paths. For more information on this resource, please visit http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae/Pubs/rp/RethinkForInv.html.
Add a comment
Enter your details and a comment below, then click Submit Comment. We’ll review and publish the best comments.