South Asian Yearbook of Trade and Development 2006

Centad’s second ‘South Asian Yearbook of Trade and Development 2006’ is under process. The executive summary of the Yearbook, however, will be released during the South Asian Conference on Trade and Development, organised by Centad at the Park Hotel in New Delhi, on December 19-20, 2006.

The 2006 Yearbook is a comprehensive collection of research papers on trade-related issues pertaining to the development concerns of South Asian countries (India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka). The papers, written by eminent academicians and professionals, also reflect the South Asian perspective at the ongoing World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations. They make important policy recommendations that South Asian negotiators and policymakers could consider in the course of negotiations under the Doha Development Round. The 2006 Yearbook is published by Wiley India.

Brief outlines of the papers are given below:

Agricultural tariffs and South Asia by Dr Parthapratim Pal, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, India, identifies the important issues of agricultural market access for South Asian countries in light of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA).
It critically examines tariff levels and access opportunities that support development interests in agriculture in the region, and brings out the gains that South Asian countries may expect if developed countries fulfil their market access commitments. The paper further investigates the implications of various tariff-cutting formulae for tariff rates of agricultural products in South Asia. It also assesses the issues of tariff escalation, tariff quotas and tariff peaks in light of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration (HKMD).

Textiles and clothing sector in South Asia in the post-quota era by Ratnakar Adhikari of the UNDP Regional Centre, Sri Lanka, starts by providing an overview of textiles and the clothing industry (TCI) from a global perspective. It then goes on to analyse the status of the TCI in South Asia in terms of certain key indicators of trade and development. The paper explores how export/import/foreign direct investment trends in South Asia have changed after the expiry of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing on December 31, 2004. It analyses the importance of certain other factors on South Asian exports of textiles and clothing, such as Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs), labour costs, non-commercial requirements, FDI movement, etc.

Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and South Asia by Dr Rajesh Mehta of Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries (RIS), India, identifies rules in the TBT Agreement that assume significance for South Asia, and evaluates a review of the agreement in the context of the DDA The paper undertakes an in-depth study of the TBT measures imposed by developed countries on South Asian exports, and analyses their implications. It further explores the efficacy of the Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions in the TBT Agreement from a South Asian perspective, and analyses WTO disputes relating to TBT. It ends by providing a roadmap for South Asia in dealing with the problem of NTBs in future.

South Asian LDCs and trade in services by Dr Ananya Raihan, Development Research Network, Bangladesh, discusses the relevance of trade in services for South Asian LDCs like Nepal and Bangladesh. It analyses services trade in these countries in light of certain key domestic development concerns such as employment, consumer benefits, access to basic utilities, etc. The paper also discusses the current status of liberalisation in the services trade in these countries and analyses domestic as well as international barriers to market access. It further identifies the policy reforms required in South Asian LDCs to gain from the services trade, and throws light on their negotiating positions and strategies in the ongoing WTO negotiations.

Rules Of Origin (ROO) and South Asia by Professor K N Harilal and Sejuti Jha of the Centre for Development Studies, India, evaluates the significance of ROO in international trade for South Asian countries, and explores whether ROO have acted as an impediment for these countries. It further identifies the impact of the WTO Agreement on ROO on South Asian countries, evaluates the review of this agreement in light of the DDA and suggests changes that need to be made in the agreement in order to make it compatible with the needs of the South Asian region.

Operationalising SAFTA by Dr Upali Wickramasinghe of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, tracks the historical progress of SAFTA and analyses its development implications with particular emphasis on LDCs. It assesses the importance of SAFTA for the international trade of South Asian countries and explores the intended future direction of this regional agreement. The paper explores ways of eliminating NTBs within SAFTA member countries and assesses the scope for operationalising Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) provisions for LDCs. It also discusses the problems of achieving the ambition of economic integration, and recommends policy options to facilitate greater integration at the SAFTA level.

Antidumping and South Asia by Prabhash Ranjan, Centad, India, analyses the trend behind the imposition of antidumping measures by developed and developing countries on South Asian exports, and their impact on these countries. It also addresses the issue of the imposition of antidumping measures by South Asian countries on imports coming from developed and developing countries. The paper evaluates the review of the Antidumping Agreement of the WTO, in light of the DDA, and suggests changes in the agreement to make it more compatible with the needs of the South Asian region.

Special Product (SP) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) in agriculture by Dr Saikat Sinha Roy of Jadavpur University, India, critically examines the special and differential provisions with reference to the development interests of South Asian countries in agriculture. It evaluates the SP designation and SSM in market access rules in the context of South Asia. It further assesses the food, livelihood and rural development concerns of the region and links them with the designation and treatment of SP. The paper analyses current proposals on SP and SSM and indicates how defensive or offensive the South Asian approach is, in terms of market access and ensuring flexibilities. It also suggests ways of protecting the interests of farmers in the region against the surge of subsidised imports from developed countries, and judges the efficacy of the proposed SSM in this context.

Emergency Safeguard Measures (ESM) in GATS and options for South Asia by Parashar Kulkarni, Centad, India, explains the utility of ESM in the South Asian context. It analyses the negotiations on ESMs in GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services), which lead to critical points of differences between member countries. The paper explores the possibility of applying a GATT-type ESM in the context of GATS. It suggests a new approach that moves away from GATT (General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) and analyses the application for all four modes of services trade. It also provides policy suggestions that ensure S&DT in ESM.

Duty-Free Quota-Free (DFQF) market access and South Asian LDCs by Dr Fahmida Khatun of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh, evaluates the importance of DFQF for South Asian LDCs. It seeks to explore the likely impact of the Hong Kong Declaration proposal of providing DFQF market access to at least 97% of products on South Asian LDCs. It identifies sectors in these countries that may benefit from the proposed DFQF market access in certain key export destinations. It also suggests negotiating strategies that South Asian LDCs may adopt in order to derive the maximum possible benefit from the Doha Round of trade talks.

To order copies of this publication contact us.