TRADE, FDI, AND THE ORGANIZATION OF FIRMS. By Elhanan Helpman. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Paper No. 12091, March 2006. This paper seeks to provide a better understanding of the changes in trade and investment patterns and the reorganisation of production across national borders with the new developments in the world economy. It goes beyond the traditional theory of international trade to account for the involvement of business firms in foreign activities. It explains trade structure and patters of foreign direct investment (FDI) and identifies new sources of comparative advantage.
SOUTH BULLETIN. South Centre, April 2006. This issue focuses on WTO services negotiations, including an article on development in GATS negotiations, Aid for Trade, how services negotiations can parallel national development agendas, and water services.
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT REVIEW. UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), February 2006. The assessment focuses on environmental and health related requirements and their impact on developing countries’ market access, looking at these requirements as both a challenge and an opportunity. As for recommendations, the Review advocates allowing developing countries to adopt a more strategic and proactive approach to coping with Environmental and Related Health Requirements (ERHRS) in export markets. In addition, the Review also provides an overview of recent UNCTAD technical cooperation and capacity building activities in the area of trade and environment.
LIBERALIZING FINANCIAL SERVICES TRADE IN AFRICA: GOING REGIONAL AND MULTILATERAL. By Marion Jansen and Yannick Vennes. WTO, Economic Research and Statistics Division, March 2006. This paper analyzes the possible gains from regional and multilateral liberalisation of financial services trade for African countries, taking into account the implications of such liberalisation for financial regulation and capital account liberalisation. Although the regions differ significantly, there is scope for further regional integration and liberalisation of financial services in all of them.
THE CURRENT NEGOTIATIONS IN THE WTO: OPTIONS, OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. By Bhagirath Lal Das. Zed Books, 2006. The ongoing negotiations at the WTO are a chance for developing countries to take the imbalances in existing WTO rules which have denied them a fair share of the benefits of international trade. This book looks at how they can best use this opportunity, with the negotiating parameters that have been set, and offers suggestions on negotiating positions.