Trade monitoring

That the global economy has gone through a period both of enormous dynamism and of enormous disruption over the past quarter-century is hardly surprising – the two are inextricably linked. The world economy only grows when productivity rises; and productivity only rises when the world economy generates more and better output more efficiently. Current concerns about globalization in many countries are traceable at least in part to the economic adjustment challenge posed by a global economy becoming ever more productive. The World Trade Report 2017 looks at two of the most powerful drivers of global economic advance today, technology and trade, and examines how they are affecting labour markets. It analyses how the challenges of adjusting to this new labour market are changing and how economies are adapting. In particular, it examines the similarities and differences in the way that technology, on the one hand, and trade, on the other, influence labour market outcomes.

In 2012, the General Council approved the accession agreements of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) and Tajikistan. Both countries officially became WTO members in early 2013 after notifying the WTO that their parliaments had ratified the accords. The agreements contain commitments covering all WTO rules.

The World Trade Report 2017 was prepared under the general responsibility of Xiaozhun Yi, WTO Deputy Director-General, and Robert Koopman, Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division. This year the report was coordinated by Marc Bacchetta and José-Antonio Monteiro. The authors of the report are Marc Bacchetta, Cosimo Beverelli, John Hancock, Mark Koulen, Viktor Kummritz, José-Antonio Monteiro, Roberta Piermartini, Stela Rubinova and Robert Teh (Economic Research and Statistics Division).