RESOURCES
CRITICAL ISSUES IN AGRICULTURAL TRADE — WTO: WHAT DOES AFRICA WANT FROM AGRICULTURE NEGOTIATIONS? By Prof. Haidari K.R. Amani (Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa, TRALAC, September 2004). This Trade Briefing by the Executive Director of Economic & Social Research Foundation ESRF Tanzania focuses on critical issues for African countries in WTO negotiations on agriculture and puts forward what African countries should do differently in the new WTO round of trade negotiations from a development perspective. For more information and to access the report visit http://www.tralac.org/pdf/Amani-Africa_in_the_WTO.doc
"WHO PROFITS FROM TRADE? THE ROLE OF MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES". By David J. Frederickson (Development Fund, 2004). This text is from the presentation given by the president of the US National Farmers Union during the conference ‘Hungry for trade’ in Oslo, June 2004. Framed broadly around a discussion of trade policy and the WTO negotiations the speech focuses on the issue of agri-business integration under liberalisation and deregulation policies over the last decade or so particularly in seed processing and food retail markets. A number of examples are given of single multinationals or clusters that have achieved dominance in these and other sectors. For further information and to access the paper visit http://www.utviklingsfondet.no/graphics/Filbibliotek/pdf/Konferanser/Sulten_handel/Dave_Frederickson.pdf
WE’RE MANAGING! CLIMATE CHANGE AND LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY IN NORTHWEST GHANA. By Kees van der Geest (African Studies Centre, 2004). This book looks at the link between climate and livelihoods in Northwest Ghana and, in particular, examines at the consequences of migration for environmental quality and livelihood sustainability. The work combines quantitative and qualitative methods and articulates different levels of analysis: from micro through meso to macro. For those interested livelihood strategies, climate change, and ethnography in Ghana, this book provides a view into the daily lives of the people of Northwest Ghana. For more information and to access the report visit http://asc.leidenuniv.nl/publications/
ALTERNATIVES TO ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION: A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, 2ND EDITION. Eds. John Cavanagh and Jerry Mander (International Forum on Globalisation, 2004). The International Forum of Globalisation presents a new edition of the popular 2002 book that incorporates hundreds of living examples of on-the-ground alternatives as well as some of the better proposals for alternatives at local, national, and global levels to the challenges posed by globalisation. The book has been expanded and updated to incorporate information received over the past two years. Coauthors include Maude Barlow, Walden Bello, Vandana Shiva, and David Korten writing on issues such as the military responses to the terrorist attacks of 9-11, reclaiming the commons, local action and ten principles for sustainability. For more information and to order the book visit http://www.ifg.org
EVOLVING SUI GENERIS OPTIONS FOR THE HINDU-KUSH HIMALAYAS. Edited by the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (June 2004). This book was published as a part of the three-year Regional Programme on Securing Farmers’ Rights to Livelihood in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya (HKH) Region. The book is a compilation of papers presented at the Regional Seminar on Evolving Sui Generis Options for the Hindu-Kush Himalayas held in Kathmandu from 24-26 March 2003. Some additional papers are also included in the book. For more information and to order the book visit http://www.sawtee.org
"Moving People to Deliver Services: How can the WTO help?" By Sumanta Chaudhuri, Aaditya Mattoo and Richard Self in the JOURNAL OF WORLD TRADE 38 (3, 2004), pp 363-393. The previous General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations produced little liberalisation of the movement of individual service providers (mode 4), and the potentially large global gains from such movement remain realised. In the current negotiations, as part of the Doha Development Agenda, developing countries are seeking greater openness in their area of comparative advantage: the movement of providers unrelated to commercial presence abroad. Meanwhile, multinational firms would like easier intra-corporate movement of their personnel. This paper examines this coincidence of interest and how it can deliver greater openness.
"Developing Countries in International Negotiations: How they Influence Trade and Climate Change Negotiations". By Sheila Page in IDS BULLETIN (35.1, 2004), pp 71-82. Both multilateral trade negotiations undertaken under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and negotiations undertaken within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are presented as being of benefit to developing countries. This paper examines whether the negotiations are actually important for poverty and development and whether developing countries can participate effectively in negotiations to obtain benefits from this participation.
"Where Ricardo and Mill Rebut and Confirm Arguments of Mainstream Economists Supporting Globalisation". By Paul A. Samuelson in the JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES 18 (3, 2004), pp 135-146. In this paper, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Samuelson employs the trade theory of Ricardo and Mill to demonstrate that free trade does not necessarily bring gains to everyone. In a direct critique of neoliberal thinkers who justify trade liberalisation according to models that show positive net gains to all parties to free trade, Samuelson sets up a scenario in which free trade between the US and China could move from being beneficial to both parties, to where Chinese technological improvement could actually lead to real income losses in the US relative to an autarky scenario.
"Is there anyone listening? Women workers in factories in Central America, and corporate codes of conduct". By Marina Prieto-Carron in DEVELOPMENT 47 (3, 2004), pp 101-105. As a part of her on-going research, Marina Prieto-Carrón examines how corporate codes of conduct can respond to the needs and interest of women workers in supply chains in developing countries. She argues that theorising on CSR should draw on empirical research and theories of gender and power if it wants to account for women’s (and worker’s) experiences. In her research she shows how important it is to listen to women workers’ arguments about how transnationals and retailers as well as suppliers must implement codes of conduct.