121 research outputs found
Shaping future GATS rules for trade in services
No full textThe new round of negotiations has begun with a mechanical sense of"since we said we would, therefore we must,"says the author. To make the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) more effective ay liberalization, the author suggests improving the agreement's rules, countries'specific commitments, and the negotiating methodology: 1) Wasteful regulations, and entry restrictions pervade trade in services. Unlike the GATT, the GATS has created no hierarchy of instruments of protection. It may be possible to create a legal presumption in favor of instruments (such as fiscal measures) that provide protection more efficiently. 2) Many countries have taken advantage of the GATS to create a more secure trading environment, by making legally binding commitments to market access. The credibility of reform would increase with wider commitments to maintain current levels of openness, or to increase access in the future. 3) Multilateral rules on domestic regulations can help promote, and consolidate domestic regulatory reform, even when the rules are designed primarily to prevent the erosion of market access for foreign providers. The pro-competitive principles developed for basic communications, could be extended to other network-based services sectors, such as transport (terminals and infrastructure), and energy services (distribution networks). The"necessity test"instituted for accounting services, could be applied to instruments in other sectors (so that doctors judged competent in one jurisdiction, wouldn't have to be retrained for another, for example). 4) Anticompetitive practices that fall outside the jurisdiction of national competition law, may be important in such sectors as maritime, air transport, and communications services. Strengthened multilateral rules are needed to reassure small countries with weak enforcement capacity, that the gains from liberalization will not be appropriated by international cartels. 5) Explicit departures from the most-favored-nation rule matter most in such sectors as maritime transport, audiovisual services, and air transport services - which have been excluded from key GATS disciplines. Implicit discrimination can be prevented by developing rules to ensure the non-discriminatory allocation of quotas, and maintaining the desirable openness of the GATS provision on mutual recognition agreements. 6) Reciprocity must play a greater role in negotiations, if the GATS is to advance liberalization beyond measures taken independently.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Decentralization,ICT Policy and Strategies,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Trade and Services,Environmental Economics&Policies,ICT Policy and Strategies,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Economic Theory&Research
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The World Trade Organization and financial stability: the balance between liberalisation and regulation in the GATs
No full textThe WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services and its Annex on Financial Services provide the international legal framework for the regulation of cross-border trade in financial services. This paper analyses some of the main provisions of the GATS and the Annex on Financial Services to determine its impact on domestic financial regulation and whether the GATS framework can achieve its objectives of liberalising international trade in financial services while allowing states to maintain adequate domestic regulatory institutions. The paper argues that the GATS provides a flexible framework for states to negotiate liberalisation commitments while allowing sufficient domestic regulatory authority to achieve financial stability objectives. The extent to which states can depart from their GATS obligations to achieve regulatory objectives has become the source of academic debate and policy interest. Although the WTO has played little or no role in the financial regulation debate, the GATS contains certain disciplines that could potentially have significant implications for limiting regulatory discretion over financial markets. The paper suggests that the Doha Development Agenda should address some of these issues as they relate to the regulation of cross-border trade in financial services. The role of the WTO in this area raises important issues regarding the institutional design of financial regulation and related issues of global financial governance
Daily tobacco smoking patterns in rural and urban areas of Poland – the results of the GATS study
No full textIntroduction and objective: Cigarette smoking is one of the main causes of premature death worldwide. Tobacco smoking
is influenced by social and economic factors such as age, gender, level of education and place of residence. The objective
of this paper is to describe the occurrence of daily tobacco use in urban and rural populations in Poland.
Materials and Method: The data was collected between 2009–2010 as part of the International Global Adult Tobacco
Survey project. The study was conducted based on population of age 15 and older. 7,840 full individual interviews were
conducted (51.2% in rural and 48.8% in urban areas). The total response rate was equal to 65.1%.
Results: 25.4% of rural residents at the age of 15 and above smoke tobacco daily (32.5% men and 17.9% women). In cities,
this percentage corresponds to 30.3% (35.4% males and 25.8% females, respectively). Among the males and females, the
highest percentage of daily tobacco smokers was found among respondents with vocational education (males 47.3% in urban
and 41.8% in rural areas; females 36.8% and 23.5%, respectively). In both the rural and urban areas the lowest percentage
of daily cigarette smokers among male respondents were those with higher education (24.9% in urban and 16.1% in rural
areas). In the group of female respondents, the lowest incidence was observed among those with primary education (16.4%
in urban, 11.7% in rural areas).
Conclusions: Daily smoking patterns in Poland differ according to the place of residence (urban/rural) and gender. A decrease
in the percentage of daily tobacco users should be observed in the next few years. Along with age exceeding 60 years, the
percentage of daily cigarette smokers is clearly on the decline
Trade in Services in the Asia Pacific Region, NBER East Asia Seminar on Economics (EASE), Volume 11
No full textCompetitive implications of cross-border banking
No full textThis paper reviews the recent literature on cross-border banking, with a focus on policy implications. Cross-border banking has increased sharply in recent decades, particularly in the form of entry, and has affected the development of financial systems, access to financial services, and stability. Reviewing the empirical literature, the author finds much, although not uniform, evidence that cross-border banking supports the development of an efficient and stable financial system that offers a wide access to quality financial services at low cost. But as better financial systems have more cross-border banking, the relationship between cross-border banking and competitiveness has to be carefully judged. While developing countries have some special conditions, provided a minimum degree of oversight is in place, they experience effects similar to industrial countries. There are some questions, though, on the effects of cross-border banking on lending based on softer information and on stability. Relevant experiences from capital markets show that the degree of cross-border financial activities can affect local market sustainability and there can be path dependency when opening up to cross-border competition. Reviewing the fast changing landscape of financial services provision, the author argues that cross-border banking highlights the increased importance of competition policy in financial services provision. This competition policy cannot be traditional, institutional based, but will need to resemble that used in other network industries. Furthermore, with globalization accelerating, competition policy will need to be global, supported by greater cross-border institutional collaboration and using the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) process and the disciplines of the World Trade Organization. GATS can be of special value to developing countries as it provides a binding, pro-competition framework that has proven more difficult to establish otherwise.Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Financial Intermediation,Knowledge Economy,Education for the Knowledge Economy
Education transformation and GATS. New paradigms in government and administration
No full textThe author first describes the context of transformation, namely the globalized, postindustrial society and the processes of deregulation, re-regulation and resistance. Then, the working of GATS is discussed which extended the existing GATT into the field of services, "and integrated it into the structures of the newly founded World Trade Organization." GATS is an instrument of liberalization and deregulation of the service sector - its implications on education are outlined. The third part of the document analyzes the "deregulatory transformation of education in three transformation societies: Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary." (DIPF/Bi.
GATS Negotiations and India: Evolution and State of Play
No full textIndia’s negotiating position on services has undergone a paradigm shift since the Uruguay Round. From being a leading opponent of the GATS in the early stages, India has now emerged as one of the champions of services trade liberalisation under GATS. This paper covers the key issues under the purview of the GATS from an Indian perspective and makes important policy suggestions for India on certain sensitive sectors like retail, higher education, audio-visual and legal services. The author argues that India needs to reconsider and reassess its aggressive policy stance on services. Upon resumption of the Doha negotiations, India should refrain from considering any compromise on its interests in agriculture and Non Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) for pushing through its offensive interests in services.GATS, Services, Negotiations, India, WTO, World Trade Organisation, NAMA, Uruguay Round, Internatioal Trade, Economics
Indo-U.S. FTA: Prospects for Audiovisual Services
No full textMany WTO (World Trade Organization) member countries, including India, are defensive about opening up of the audiovisual sector in the Doha Round due to reasons of cultural sensitivity. On the other hand, the United States is pushing for liberalizing trade in this sector - both in the WTO and in its bilateral FTAs (Free Trade Agreements). With the slow progress of the Doha Round, India and the United States are exploring the possibilities of entering into FTAs with like-minded trading partners. In this context, the present paper discusses the prospects of liberalizing audiovisual services under a possible Indo-U.S. FTA. The study found that India and the United States have significant trade complementarities in this sector which can be further enhanced under an FTA. It identifies areas such as co-production of films, digital content creation and broadband infrastructure in which companies from India and the United States can enter into mutually beneficial collaborations. It argues that India should enter into a media cooperation agreement with the U.S. to facilitate the inflow of technical know, finance and best management practices. It discusses regulatory and other reforms which would not only improve the productivity and global competitiveness of the Indian audiovisual sector but also enable it to gain from the FTA.Indo-U.S. FTA, GATS, bilateral agreements, audiovisual, services
Indo-U.S. FTA - Prospects for Audiovisual Services
No full textMany WTO (World Trade Organization) member countries, including India, are defensive about opening up of the audiovisual sector in the Doha Round due to reasons of cultural sensitivity. On the other hand, the United States is pushing for liberalizing trade in this sector both in the WTO and in its bilateral FTAs (Free Trade Agreements). With the slow progress of the Doha Round, India and the United States are exploring the possibilities of entering into FTAs with like-minded trading partners. In this context, the present paper discusses the prospects of liberalizing audiovisual services under a possible Indo-U.S. FTA. The study found that India and the United States have significant trade complementarities in this sector which can be further enhanced under an FTA. It identifies areas such as co-production of films, digital content creation and broadband infrastructure in which companies from India and the United States can enter into mutually beneficial collaborations. It argues that India should enter into a media cooperation agreement with the U.S. to facilitate the inflow of technical know, finance and best management practices. It discusses regulatory and other reforms which would not only improve the productivity and global competitiveness of the Indian audiovisual sector but also enable it to gain from the FTA.Indo-U.S. FTA, GATS, bilateral agreements, audiovisual, Services
Shaping Future GATS Rules for Trade in Services
No full textThe new round of negotiations has begun
with a mechanical sense of "since we said we would,
therefore we must," says the author. To make the
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) more effective
ay liberalization, the author suggests improving the
agreement's rules, countries' specific
commitments, and the negotiating methodology: 1) Wasteful
regulations, and entry restrictions pervade trade in
services. Unlike the GATT, the GATS has created no hierarchy
of instruments of protection. It may be possible to create a
legal presumption in favor of instruments (such as fiscal
measures) that provide protection more efficiently. 2) Many
countries have taken advantage of the GATS to create a more
secure trading environment, by making legally binding
commitments to market access. The credibility of reform
would increase with wider commitments to maintain current
levels of openness, or to increase access in the future. 3)
Multilateral rules on domestic regulations can help promote,
and consolidate domestic regulatory reform, even when the
rules are designed primarily to prevent the erosion of
market access for foreign providers. The pro-competitive
principles developed for basic communications, could be
extended to other network-based services sectors, such as
transport (terminals and infrastructure), and energy
services (distribution networks). The "necessity
test" instituted for accounting services, could be
applied to instruments in other sectors (so that doctors
judged competent in one jurisdiction, wouldn't have to
be retrained for another, for example). 4) Anticompetitive
practices that fall outside the jurisdiction of national
competition law, may be important in such sectors as
maritime, air transport, and communications services.
Strengthened multilateral rules are needed to reassure small
countries with weak enforcement capacity, that the gains
from liberalization will not be appropriated by
international cartels. 5) Explicit departures from the
most-favored-nation rule matter most in such sectors as
maritime transport, audiovisual services, and air transport
services - which have been excluded from key GATS
disciplines. Implicit discrimination can be prevented by
developing rules to ensure the non-discriminatory allocation
of quotas, and maintaining the desirable openness of the
GATS provision on mutual recognition agreements. 6)
Reciprocity must play a greater role in negotiations, if the
GATS is to advance liberalization beyond measures taken independently
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