Six studies that examine how border bottlenecks affect trade and investment flows, how these bottlenecks might be reduced, and whether the expense involved is worth it.
This book represents the work of a team of theorists and practitioners from various Central and Eastern European countries who offer a multidisciplinary approach to security and safety issues which companies in international and domestic trade, as well as consumers, are facing nowadays. Contributions range from the topics of terrorism and piracy, various aspects of theft and theft prevention, to the challenges of security and privacy in electronic and mobile commerce. Therefore, the book is a powerful resource in solving problems because it not only considers security, privacy, and ethical issues, among others, but also discusses how to prevent them before they occur.
With considerable turmoil in international trade and logistics it is more important than ever to understand trade and customs issues and their impact on logistics operations. At every port and border international freight operations are exposed to trade and customs procedures. Cross-Border Logistics Operations serves as a comprehensive guide and companion to the cross-border trade and customs environment and its implications for international business supply chains and their control. Inspired by the World Customs Organization's Professional Standards (also known as the WCO PICARD Standards), it provides key insights into transporting goods across borders and effectively managing the requirements for compliance and enforcement. International students, business operators and government officials will find the book rich in detail with practical examples that include the political, administrative, regulatory, technological and economic context throughout. It covers all the critical operational and legal aspects of cross-border logistics operations, including: -prevailing trade, customs and border policy -tariffs and import taxes -border management and supply chain security practices -prohibitions and restrictions -enforcement and compliance practices -supply chain and logistics arrangements -disaster relief operations -frictionless trade and trade facilitation principles.
With efforts for further substantive liberalization of trade showing little signs of success, focus has shifted to the rationalization and simplification of procedural regulations in international trade. The Agreement on the Trade Facilitation in Goods came into force in 2017, and proposals for similar agreements for trade in services and foreign investment have been submitted and are under discussion. This book discusses both existing and proposed provisions on trade facilitation within the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It covers relevant General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provisions and jurisprudence, the negotiating history of the Trade Facilitation Agreement in Goods, provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and their relevance for developing countries’ concerns, with special emphasis on India, and the prospects for a global digital trade facilitation platform. The book also discusses the desirability for trade facilitation agreements for services and investment and the possibility of success of the proposals submitted in this regard in the WTO.
This report discusses the benefits of trade facilitation - meant to promote transparent, predictable and straightforward border procedures so as to expedite the movement of goods. The OECD Trade Facilitation indicators provide a powerful tool for assessing the impact of related reforms and moni
As European countries pursue a common effort towards establishing a European Union, various isolated -and consequently disadvantaged -regions are likely to face increasing competitive pressures due to their peripheral location. To assist such areas, regional, national and supranational bodies put much effort into developing transport and communication networks and linkages in order to ensure that such less favoured areas are better integrated in the broader European social and economic development process. This book addresses the issue of lagging development in various -mainly central and southern - European regions which are in a disadvantageous position as a result of their isolated 10cation.··The persisting problems of social and economic development in several European Union areas (e.g. islands, mountains, border areas) has turned the attention of policy-makers to "the critical importance of transport and (tele)communication linkages. The purpose of the book is to bring into perspective the role of transport and communications in regional policy for peripheral areas. This subject is currently of high priority, since the European Union through the Structural Funds interventions (i.e. the Community Support Frameworks) and the new Cohesion Fund relies heavily on transport and communication infrastructure investments to assist areas which are at a disadvantage due to their peripheral location and isolation. Furthermore, as the Union considers enlargement, some of these issues might be of wide European interest.
With the AfCFTA in force and several regional integration initiatives ongoing in Africa, effective implementation promises an economic growth and development trajectory that defi nes the ‘Africa we want’ as posited by the African policymakers within the context of the African Union’s ‘Agenda 2063’. This is more evident with emerging dynamics characterised by unprecedented shocks and fast-paced evolution in the digital space. The implications of these dynamics beckon a rethinking of the strategies for riding on and above the wave. This book delves into some of the policy intricacies and generates both insights on emerging shocks, digitalisation, intellectual property rights and raises interesting issues for further reflection. It is a great read that illuminates critical trade issues with important policy implications.
With a focus on how trade, foreign investment, commercial arbitration and financial regulation rules affect impoverished individuals, Poverty and the International Economic Legal System examines the relationship between the legal rules of the international economic law system and states' obligations to reduce poverty. The contributors include leading practitioners, practice-oriented scholars and legal theorists, who discuss the human aspects of global economic activity without resorting to either overly dogmatic human rights approaches or technocratic economic views. The essays extend beyond development discussions by encouraging further efforts to study, improve and develop legal mechanisms for the benefit of the world's poor and challenging traditionally de-personified legal areas to engage with their real-world impacts.
This volume provides a state of the art review of current thinking on the full range of trade policy issues, addressing the economic and political dimensions of international trade policy. The volume contains a systematic examination of: - specific trade policy instruments (such as tariffs, non-tariff barriers and trade rules) - sectoral concerns (in agriculture, manufacturing and services) - trade linkages (to issues such as the environment and labour standards) - systemic considerations (what role for the WTO?) The organising theme of the volume is that open markets for trade and investment yield large potential gains in human welfare as long as trade policy is conducted as an integral part of broader domestic economic management and regulatory reform, and as long as the particular challenges facing developing countries are effectively addressed. This 'case' is presented on the basis of rigorous analysis of first principles and of empirical experience among key trading nations. An integrated set of original and comprehensive perspectives from a diverse group of experts, linked by a common organisational thread. The contributing authors create an ideal mix of internationally recognised experts together with younger specialists making their mark in trade policy analysis; academics as well as trade policy practitioners; and representatives of both developed and developing countries.
This volume considers trade liberalisation and development from an economic perspective, aiming to examine these emotive issues using empirical approaches and dispassionate analysis.