Economic research and trade policy analysis
Agradecimientos
El Informe sobre el Comercio Mundial de 2004 ha sido elaborado bajo la supervisión general del Director General Adjunto Dr. Kipkorir Aly Azad Rana. Patrick Low, Director de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, dirigió el equipo encargado de redactar el Informe. Los autores principales del Informe son Bijit Bora, Zdenek Drabek, K. Michael Finger, Marion Jansen, Alexander Keck, Patrick Low, Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås, Roberta Piermartini y Robert Teh. Barbara D’Andrea, de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, es coautora de la Sección IB.2. Jeffrey Gertler, de la División de Asuntos Jurídicos, contribuyó a la redacción de la Sección IB.1. Mukela Luanga, de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, proporcionó material esencial a varios de los autores principales. Las estadísticas comerciales y la información arancelaria fueron facilitadas por el Grupo de Estadística de la División de Estudios Económicos y Estadística, bajo la coordinación de Guy Karsenty, Julia de Verteuil, Andreas Maurer y Jürgen Richtering.
Résumé analytique
La croissance économique sans précédent du dernier quart de siècle s’est nécessairement accompagnée d’un changement économique sans précédent.
Foreword
Over the last decade, attitudes toward globalization have shifted in a number of developed countries, contributing to rising trade tensions. A growing public perception holds that the integration of goods, services, labor, and capital markets only benefits a happy few while leaving many people behind. This change in attitudes has been an important factor in the transformation of the political landscape with the election in several countries of politicians who question the effects of international cooperation and who have adopted fewer cooperative approaches to trade and migration.
Technical notes
WTO members are frequently referred to as “countries”, although some members are not countries in the usual sense of the word but are officially “customs territories”. The definition of geographical and other groupings in this report does not imply an expression of opinion by the WTO Secretariat concerning the status of any country or territory, the delimitation of its frontiers, nor the rights and obligations of any WTO member in respect of WTO agreements. The colours, boundaries, denominations and classifications in the maps of the publication do not imply, on the part of the WTO, any judgement on the legal or other status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of any boundary.
Operating integrated logistics services in a fragmented regulatory environment: What is the cost?
Estimated at US$36 billion and employing over four million people, the Indian health care sector is one of the largest service sectors in the economy today. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent, the Indian health care sector is expected to reach US$280 billion by 2020. A 2003 report titled India’s New Opportunity: 2020, prepared jointly by the All India Management Association, Boston Consulting Group and the Confederation of Indian Industries, predicts that over 40 million new jobs and US$200 billion increased revenues are expected to be generated by the Indian services sector by 2020, and the health care sector will play an important role in generating these jobs and revenues (AIMA/BCG 2003). Hence, this sector is predicted to grow rapidly and is seen to have considerable potential due to the growing demand for health care services in India. The reasons are many, including rising incomes, a growing propensity to spend on health care, an emergence of lifestyle-related diseases, and demographics.
Domestic regulation of retail food distribution services in Israel: The missing link between food prices and social protest
This chapter provides a case study tracing the impact of domestic regulation on market structure in the retail distribution services sector and its ultimate effects on consumer food prices. Taking Israel, a small and relatively liberalized Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economy, as an example, our research investigates whether market concentration and the absence of international competition can be attributed to domestic regulation. We place this discussion in the context of recent consumer-led social protest against the rising cost of food in Israel.
Acknowledgements/Disclaimer
This publication was prepared by Arti Gobind Daswani, Roy Santana and János Volkai of the WTO Secretariat with the support of WTO Deputy Director-General Karl Brauner, Valerie Hughes (former Director of the WTO’s Legal Affairs Division), Suja Rishikesh Mavroidis (Director of the WTO Market Access Division) and John Adank (Director of the Legal Affairs Division). Special acknowledgment is owed to WTO staff members Jesse Kreier and Olga Falgueras Alamo, from the Rules Division, for their contribution to the compilation of relevant documents.
Foreword by the WTO Director-General
It is a central premise of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that trade drives growth and development. By liberalizing trade, countries benefit not only from increased access to technology and consumer goods but also from the chance to find new markets and connect to global value chains. This can quickly translate into GDP growth and a rise in the standard of living. But why do some countries seem to benefit more – and more quickly – than others? That is the question that this book tries to answer.
Foreword
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the economy, representing 95 per cent of all companies worldwide and accounting for 60 per cent of employment. They are fundamental to the day-to-day provision of goods and services around the world. Yet many struggle to grow and trade. Among the many challenges that MSMEs face, a lack of access to finance, including trade finance, is frequently identified as a critical barrier to growth. The MSME financing gap is a reality that cannot be ignored and that should be tackled with determination if we wish to ensure that small players are given a chance to thrive.
Institutions et questions de fond
Dans la présente section, on examinera la manière dont la normalisation et l’évaluation de la conformité fonctionnent dans la pratique et les caractéristiques pertinentes des infrastructures mises en place à cet effet dans différentes régions du monde. On considérera tout d’abord le processus de normalisation: les endroits où il a lieu, la manière dont il est organisé et ses protagonistes. On étudiera ensuite, dans la sous-section 2, l’organisation de l’évaluation de la conformité aux niveaux international, régional et national et les incidences que les prescriptions en matière d’évaluation de la conformité peuvent avoir sur les échanges.
Commerce des marchandises en volume (en termes réels) en 2009
Le commerce mondial des marchandises en volume (abstraction faite de l’influence des prix et des taux de change) a fléchi de 12,2 pour cent en 2009 (voir le tableau 2), alors qu’il avait augmenté de 2,1 pour cent en 2008 et de 4,1 pour cent en moyenne au cours des dix dernières années. La contraction des échanges a été plus importante que la diminution de 2,3 pour cent du PIB en 2009, ce qui n’a rien d’étonnant puisque le commerce mondial augmente généralement plus vite que le PIB quand la croissance de la production s’accélère et décroît plus rapidement quand elle se ralentit (voir la figure 8).
Acknowledgements
This report was made possible thanks to the funding of the Swedish Government.
Avant-Propos
Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2005 est structuré de la même façon que les années précédentes et contient une analyse d’un certain nombre de questions de politique commerciale essentielles auxquelles est confronté le système commercial international. Son objectif fondamental est de contribuer à mieux faire comprendre les questions de politique commerciale auxquelles les gouvernements sont confrontés. Le thème central de ce rapport annuel est le lien entre les normes et le commerce international. De courts essais ont été préparés sur trois autres thèmes – l’utilisation de l’analyse économique quantitative dans le règlement des différends à l’OMC, le commerce international des services de transport aérien et les délocalisations de services.