Economiquity

South Asia Uncovered

CUTS CITEE has decided that the time has come to revamp its flagship publication – the Economiquity newsletter. Previously, for almost a decade, this quarterly newsletter presented a compilation of news from around the world relating to trade, economics and the environment, since there was a vacuum of such material. Now taking into consideration that there is an abundance of sources displaying such information on a continuous basis, Economiquity has been reformed. This new bi-monthly e-newsletter presents publications from across South Asia, which are researched and written by renowned experts, civil society organisations, research institutes, and academics. What was once not easy to find is now before your eyes!

Please click on the following links to find out the key issues concerning South Asia in terms of trade, economics and the environment:

WTO Issues

  • Sinking into Vulnerability – Erosion of Non-Reciprocal Preferences in WTO-NAMA: The Case of Bangladesh
  • Eight Doha Myths
  • Trade Liberalization and Digital Divide: An Analysis of the Information Technology Agreement of WTO
  • Access, Benefit Sharing and Prior Informed Consent: Legal Mechanisms in South Asia
  • Reboot the WTO Template

Preferential Trading Arrangements

  • Regional Trade Integration in South Asia: Rationale, Impediments and the Way Forward
  • Bilateral Free Trade Agreements and Farmers’ Livelihood Issues for South Asian Countries
  • India-Pakistan Trade
  • Seizing New Opportunities for South-South Cooperation

Developmental Issues

  • Institutions and Pro-poor growth in Bangladesh: IPPG Inception Phase study
  • Environment Assessment of Nepal: Emerging Issues and Challenges
  • Promoting Domestic Commerce for Sustainable Pro-poor growth
  • Impact Assessment of Trade Liberalisation in Oilseeds sector: A case study of Rajasthan
  • Plunging into Food Insecurity – Multilateral Liberalisation in Agriculture and the Concern of Net-Food Importing Countries: The Case of Bangladesh
  • A Critical Analysis of Forest Policies of Pakistan: Implications for Sustainable Livelihoods

CUTS CITEE in Action

  • Bulletin
  • Doha Round to remain in cold storage
  • Hanging By a Thread: Perspectives on the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong

Call for Publications


WTO Issues

Sinking into Vulnerability – Erosion of Non-Reciprocal Preferences in WTO-NAMA: The Case of Bangladesh
Authors: Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir & M Iqbal Ahmed
Unnayan Onneshan – The Innovators, Bangladesh

The paper attempts to measure the extent of the erosion of preference Bangladesh may incur in the EU and USA market. The erosion of preference has been estimated in response to proposals made in NAMA negotiations. The impact estimated on the basis of traditional measure of preference erosion, which shows that the magnitude of erosion of preference to be faced by Bangladesh in the EU market as a result of MFN tariff cut is quite significant based upon the value of coefficients. This is mainly due to the fact that a considerable amount of exports from Bangladesh gets duty free market access due to high GSP utilization capacity.

http://www.unnayan.org/Other/Svul.pdf

Eight Doha Myths

Author: Bibek Debroy, Secretary General, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, India
Business Standard, India

The future of Doha Work Programme (DWP), meaning the timeframe, is now uncertain. We are probably looking at 2009/2010 for resurrection. The way I see it, there are several myths floating around. Let me try to dispel these. Since myths are simplifications and generalisations, arguments to dispel myths should also have the liberty of simplifying and generalising.
http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=4&leftindx=4&subLeft=1&autono=99917

Trade Liberalization and Digital Divide: An Analysis of the Information Technology Agreement of WTO
Authors: Dr. K.J. Joseph & Govindan Parayil
Centre of Development Studies, India

This article reflects on the effectiveness of trade liberalization, as envisaged in the Information Technology Agreement of the WTO, for promoting information and communication technology (ICT) use and production in developing countries. A case is made for an e-South Framework Agreement that facilitates the harnessing of southern capabilities through building new system of ICT innovation, as a complement to ongoing North-South initiatives.
http://cds.edu/download_files/wp[1]381.pdf

Access, Benefit Sharing and Prior Informed Consent: Legal Mechanisms in South Asia
South Asia Watch on Trade Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal
In the backdrop of the existing rules of intellectual property rights and their implications on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the rights of communities and farmers, the book deals with the legal measures that biodiversity-rich South Asian countries need to take for safeguarding their national interests.
http://www.sawtee.org/pdf/ABS%20Book.pdf

Reboot the WTO Template
Authors: Prof. Daniel Drache Director, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies and Professor of Political Science, York University Toronto Canada & Marc D Froese, Research Associate, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies
Financial Express, India
The WTO has acquired a huge expertise in negotiating complex agendas. But after five years at the negotiating table, governments ran out of time to save the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. The core problem is not that members are opposed to open markets, but that the Doha agenda was too big and complex to craft a deal. What should have been a development Round instead became an endless cycle of recrimination, backbiting and brinksmanship.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=138056

Preferential Trading Arrangements

Regional Trade Integration in South Asia: Rationale, Impediments and the Way Forward
Authors: Dr. Ejaz Ghani & Dr. Musleh-ud Din
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), with technical and financial support of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the International Development Research Centre, Canada
This policy brief underlines the importance of regional trade integration in South Asia as elsewhere, spells out the factors which have so far hampered trade cooperation in the region, and outlines trade policy measures that will contribute to greater economic integration in South Asia. Like others, the South Asian developing economies are opening up with a view to accelerating their economic growth through greater trade and investment. In this context, a major initiative is the signing of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) among the seven Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The implementation of SAFTA began on 1 July 2006.
http://www.unescap.org/tid/artnet/pub/polbrief7.pdf

Bilateral Free Trade Agreements and Farmers’ Livelihood Issues for South Asian Countries
By Ratnakar Adhikari
South Asia Watch on Trade Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal

This paper discusses the possible implications of a bilateral trade agreement between a developed and a developing country for the latter’s intellectual property rights policy. Drawing on examples from a few developing countries, it is shown that adequate homework and appropriate strategic negotiating tactics can limit the imposition of ‘TRIPS-plus’ conditions by developed countries on developing countries.
http://www.sawtee.org/pdf/FTAs%20and%20FR.pdf

India-Pakistan Trade
Author: Nisha Taneja
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India

This study identifies areas of trade and investment co-operation between the two countries. On the basis of a survey conducted in three cities viz., Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar the paper examines the characteristics of firms engaged in Indo-Pakistan trade. It also estimates the transaction costs of trade on the basis of a detailed examination of existing transport arrangement between the two countries and the impact of all extant non-tariff barriers. The study also examines recent developments in BIMSTEC, ASEAN and in Indo-Sri Lanka and Indo-Nepal trade agreements, and draws lessons to enhance Indo-Pakistan trade.
http://www.icrier.org/pdf/WP182.pdf

Seizing New Opportunities for South-South Cooperation
Authors: Dr. Ragesh Kurnar & Dr. Ramgopal Agarwala
Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India

A number of initiatives have been taken in the past to promote South-South Cooperation (SSC) in regional and global contexts. Some of these initiatives need to be expanded in scope and new ones need to be taken. The 14th Non-Aligned Movement Summit can consider some of the proposals summarized in this policy brief for seizing these new opportunities for SSC.
www.ris.org.in/pb27.pdf

Developmental Issues

Institutions and Pro-poor growth in Bangladesh: IPPG Inception Phase Study
Authors: Bipul Chatterjee, Junior R. Davis, M. Abu Eusuf, John Harriss & Purnima Purohit
Department of Development Studies, Bangladesh; CUTS International, India; Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK; and Development Studies Institute (DESTIN), London School of Economics, UK
The paper is an exploratory study of Bangladesh, which aims to address the following question: “why is economic growth in Bangladesh not more pro-poor given the various shifts and changes in the economy since 1990?” This exploratory study has sought to address this question by placing emphasis on employment-creating sectors and the relationship between economic, social, political and cultural institutions.
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/IPPG/PDF/IPPG%20WorkingPaper/IPPGWP2BangladeshCaseStudyBCHATTERJEEetalJune2006.pdf

Environment Assessment of Nepal: Emerging Issues and Challenges
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal
The Environment Assessment of Nepal attempts to bring together a large part of what is available to provide an analysis of environmental status and trends in the country; the policy, legal and institutional framework for environmental management; financing mechanisms; and major environmental issues and opportunities. The Assessment highlights data inconsistencies, gaps, and needs, and the extensive list of sources provides an excellent starting point for anyone attempting to locate relevant environmental data. This publication is priced.
http://www.icimod.org/home/pub/publications.content.php?puid=40

Promoting Domestic Commerce for Sustainable Pro-poor Growth
Author: Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE)

Domestic commerce is the most pro-poor growth possibility in Pakistan. Currently, it employs about 40 percent of the labour force and contributes about 52 percent to GDP. If it can be provided with an enabling environment, estimates by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) suggest that it could help increase the growth rate by at least 2 percentage points.

http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/PolicyViewPoint/PolicyViewpointNo.1.pdf

Impact Assessment of Trade Liberalisation in Oilseeds Sector: A Case Study of Rajasthan

Author: Dr. N C Pahariya
CUTS International, India

This study was undertaken to identify strengths/weaknesses of the oilseeds sub-sector of agriculture and to offer policy prescriptions to facilitate the process of integrating the Indian economy and, in particular, the state economy of Rajasthan in the post-quantitative restrictions phase, with the emerging Multilateral Trading System. An in-depth analysis is undertaken to identify main issues affecting international competitiveness of this sector, which are further classified in terms of their effects on import competition and export competitiveness.

http://www.cuts-citee.org/documents/Oilseed-study-final.doc

Plunging into Food Insecurity – Multilateral Liberalisation in Agriculture and the Concern of Net-Food Importing Countries: The Case of Bangladesh

Authors: Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir & Golam Sarwar
Unnayan Onneshan – The Innovators, Bangladesh

The report attempts to understand the implications of multilateral agricultural liberalisation on a food security situation of net-food importing developing country. The report operationally defines the food security and analyses the unilateral liberalisation of agriculture in Bangladesh leaning to the food security situation of the nation. It also tracks the possible consequences regarding food security in Bangladesh resulting from the negotiations conducted at the WTO. The final section suggests some strategic options.

http://www.unnayan.org/Other/Food.pdf

A Critical Analysis of Forest Policies of Pakistan: Implications for Sustainable Livelihoods

Authors: Babar Shahbaz, Tanvir Ali, & Abid Suleri
Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Pakistan

The present paper aims to critically analyse the forest policies of Pakistan. Implications for sustainable forest management and livelihood security of forest dependent people are also given. Pakistan has very low forest cover, but these forests are very diverse in nature and of significant importance for the livelihood security of millions of rural people who live in and around these forests.

http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/recent_publications/Babar-Springer-Miti.pdf

CUTS CITEE in Action

Bulletin
To keep up-to-date with CUTS CITEE activities in terms of our new projects, initiatives, publications and events, please click on the following link:
http://www.cuts-citee.org/PDF/EQ36-citee-activities.pdf

Doha Round to Remain in Cold Storage

By T. N. Srinivasan
The ten-year anniversary of CUTS CITEE was marked by a lecture on “The Future of the Global Trading System: Doha Round and Beyond” that was delivered by noted trade economist Prof. T. N. Srinivasan
(http://www.cuts-international.org/news-cutsJuly06.htm#doha29july06).

Hanging by a Thread: Perspectives on the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong
Compiled by Ritu Lodha & John Tabari
The Doha negotiations are progressing at a snail’s pace and with no deal on the horizon, it would be worth looking back for the road ahead. The Sixth WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong was the last major milestone for trade negotiators of the North and South. Accordingly, CUTS International has published a book entitled “Hanging By a Thread: Perspectives on the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong” that compiles the various points and views expressed by renowned experts and commentators on the WTO. These viewpoints were expressed prior to, during and after the Ministerial from around the world. The main objective is to assist trade negotiators, trade policy officials and the trade community at large while conducting research and advocacy on WTO.

http://www.cuts-citee.org/HK-book.htm

Call for Publications

For experts publishing articles in South Asian newspapers/publications, civil society organisations, research institutes and academics, if you would like your publication’s abstract and weblink to distributed to CUTS International network (above 5,000 recipients all over the world) and added to the Economiquity e-newsletter, please forward such details via email to following address: citee@cuts.org

This e-newsletter is compiled by the CUTS CITEE team , CUTS International.
Disclaimer: This e-newsletter contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owners. Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) is making the abstracts of these articles available in our efforts to advance understanding of trade, economic and development issues. We believe that this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of the copyrighted material as provided for in Article 10 of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Paris Text 1971) and in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If anybody wishes to use materials from this e-newsletter for purposes that go beyond ‘fair use’, s/he must obtain permission from the copyright owner. CUTS will not draw any profit from this e-newsletter, since it is solely for informative and educational purposes.

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