EDITOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Welcome to our Trade Perspectives Newsletter! This is a first of our quarterly newsletter issues we are aiming to issue in 2009, with something new in every one of them. Trade Perspectives aims to facilitate and broaden public dialogue on trade policy and trade negotiations in the region.
The newsletter covers opinion editorials on current topical trade policy issues, features, our recent publications, highlights of our recent events and a note on upcoming events.
In this issue we feature our recently published book: Trade Reform in Southern Africa: Vision 2014 edited by Peter Draper and Philip Alves. Given South Africa's importance to its immediate sub region and the broader SADC region, it is incumbent upon all interested parties to better understand South Africa's shifting priorities and future policy thrusts, and what implications these might have for countries in the region. This book admirably delivers such insights in the trade policy field.
Also read about our forthcoming WTO Roundtable on the global economic crisis and emerging protectionism, scheduled for the 19th May 2009 at the Premier Hotel, Pretoria.
We hope it will be an enjoyable and stimulating read for you.
FEATURE
Trade Reform in Southern Africa: Vision 2014?
 This book comes at an important time in the development of Southern Africa's trade policy. Trade policy and trade performance are important elements in the region's growth and development strategies, but the future is becoming ever more uncertain. This is partly because regional trade policy is now almost entirely dictated by often-erratic trade negotiations processes: there is no clear unilateral thrust. Most agree that external influences in the form of economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations with the EU and the World Trade Organisation's floundering Doha Round have the potential to significantly alter the region's trade policy landscape, but few are willing to predict precisely how.
Bhagwati endorsement
“That trade liberalization is good for emerging market economies, and not just for the rich ones, is now widely accepted by both economists and policymakers. But the question remains: how can these reforms be implemented in practice? The answer to that important question lies in understanding the political economy of each reforming country. This book makes a splendid contribution to our understanding of this issue by examining the experience of several countries. It is therefore an important book to be read by, not just students and researchers, but also policymakers worldwide.”
- Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University, US
Read more
RECENT TRADE POLICY BRIEFINGS
SAIIA Policy Briefing, No.5, March 2009
The Economics of Intellectual Property Rights in Developing Countries: Lessons from a Literature Review
by Tsidiso Disenyana
- English [.pdf]
The enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) has gained prominence in recent years on the global trade and intellectual property agenda. A number of initiatives and developments in this area at the global, regional and bilateral level carry wide reaching implications for developing countries. This paper contributes to the IPR debate by exploring the economic link between IPR and development. It is intended to contribute to a better understanding of the key policy issues raised by IPRs and their impact on economic development in developing countries.
Read more
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| WTO Decision-making Beyond the Doha Round: Getting to “Yes” held on 19th March 2009 |
| On the 19th of March 2009, SAIIA hosted a roundtable discussion on the major concerns of the Doha Round multilateral trade negotiations and the general decision making process in the WTO. Taking note of the difficulties members have experienced in reaching a Doha Round deal, the discussion focused on some of the problems that are intrinsic to the consensus decision making system of the WTO. Read More. |
| Intellectual Property Rights in the EU-CARIFORUM EPA: Lessons for SADC held on 20th March 2009 |
| Attended by domestic and regional research organizations, academics, and government officials, this workshop explored the possibility of IPR provisions in the EU- CARIFORUM EPA being used as model and thus influencing the negotiations of other EPA regions. Should this happen in SADC, what provisions of the CARIFORUM EPA should be included or excluded? What are the opportunities and challenges for the SADC EPA group in negotiating IPRs? What is the potential developmental impact of the CARIFORUM EPA type provisions on SADC countries in the areas of food security, access to medicines and biological diversity? These are some of the questions the workshop attempted to address. Read More. |
WTO Roundtable – Economic crisis and the WTO, Johannesburg, 19th May 2009
The financial crisis which began in the US and spread to many markets across the globe has added to and complicated the cocktail of challenges blocking the way to a successful conclusion of the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations. Led by Dr. Razeen Sally, this roundtable outlines emerging protectionism dynamics, their implications for the Doha Round of WTO negotiations and questions the future of the multilateral trading system.
Workshop on Trade in SACU Energy Services, Johannesburg, 23rd June 2009
The sub-region is richly endowed with a variety of energy sources. However, development of these resources is constrained by factors such as the shortage of equipment, the inability of SACU energy utilities to meet demand, and tariff and pricing rules. These and other obstacles limit energy’s potential to serve effectively the needs of the people of SACU, while in some countries energy supply is unreliable and expensive, contributing to an uncompetitive business environment. Furthermore the lack of common policies or positions on such issues as services has increasingly come under the spotlight in SACU’s trade negotiations with external trade partners such as the European Union.
It has been argued that as long as SACU countries are not harmonized among themselves agreements with external parties covering trade in services may remain elusive. The focus of the workshop will be to consider the challenge of ascertaining to what extent energy services markets in SACU may be integrated in practice; the regulatory environment that is providing this integration; and how harmonization or regional trade agreements can enhance this integration. Member countries’ energy services offers at multilateral and bilateral/regional trade negotiations will also be explored.
Please contact Tsidiso Disenyana for further details: tsidiso.disenyana@saiia.org.za
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| The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is collaboration of research and policy institutions in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas that are working to ensure that social development and environmental goals are equitable addressed in trade and investment policies'. Some of our recent publications include: |
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