BIG SUGAR AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF US AGRICULTURAL POLICY. By Kimberly A. Elliott. Center for Global Development (CGD), April 2005. This brief investigates the effects of sugar subsidies on developing world producers and US consumers. It outlines the political economy behind US sugar subsidies, and specifically looks at the ramifications of the Central American Free Trade Agreement — vigorously opposed by the US sugar industry — for trade in sugar. To access this paper please visit http://www.cgdev.org/docs/CGDEV_BigSugar3a.pdf.
"Will The Doha Round Play A Role In Ending Global Poverty?" By Sophia Murphy. In AU COURANT, Canadian Council for International Co-operation, Spring 2005. As civil society organisations unite to call for action against global poverty, government trade officials are immersed in the WTO’s Doha round of negotiations. This article describes how trade rules can support poverty eradication. To access this article please visit http://www.ccic.ca/e/docs/004_au_courant_spring_2005.pdf.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED WTO NEGOTIATIONS. Colin Kirkpatrick and Clive George. Impact Assessment Research Centre, Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester, April 2005. This report is an independent assessment of the impacts that trade negotiations may have on sustainable development commissioned by the European Commission. It describes the principal findings of three studies assessing the sustainability impacts of liberalisation in agriculture, forestry and distribution services and provides recommendations for negotiators and policy-makers. To access this report please visit http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=72771.
ROAD DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN CHINA. By Shenggen Fan and Connie Chan-Kang. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Research Report 138, 2005. This study evaluates how Chinese investment in roads has contributed to poverty reduction and economic growth in China over the last two decades. It disaggregates road infrastructure into different classes to account for differences in their quality, and then estimates the impact of road investments on overall economic growth, agricultural growth, urban growth, urban poverty reduction, and rural poverty reduction. The report shows how investing in low-quality and rural roads will generate larger marginal returns, raise more people out of poverty per yuan invested, and reduce regional development disparity more sharply than investing in high-quality roads. To access this report please visit http://www.ifpri.org/.
TAXES VS. PERMITS: OPTIONS FOR PRICE-BASED CLIMATE CHANGE REGULATION. By Suzi Kerr, Isabelle Sin and Joanna Hendy. New Zealand Treasury, March 2005. This paper provides an overview of key issues involved in the choice among market-based instruments for climate change policy. Specifically, it examines the potential net benefits from shifting to a permit system for emission reduction, and the preconditions necessary for this change. It also draws out the implications of New Zealand’s specific circumstances and current climate policies for future policy development. To access this report please visithttp://www.treasury.govt.nz/workingpapers/2005/wp05-02.asp.
CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY: CHARTING A NEW ENERGY FUTURE. By the Bioenergy and Agricultural Working Group, Energy Future Coalition. This report illustrates how sustainably produced biomass is highly undervalued and underutilised as energy asset in the US and around the world. Leaders in the chemical and biotech industries are currently developing new technology to make ethanol, a biofuel, from almost anything that grows or once grew. The working group recommends the continued development of biofuel technologies in the US including through incentives for energy crops, government-led competitions, and increases in research and development. It suggests that the US Trade Representative propose shifting funds from agriculture export subsidies to bioenergy subsidies. To access the report visit http://www.energyfuturecoalition.org/new_fuels.cfm.