Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Business economics - Trade and Distribution, grade: A, Bahria University (School of Law), language: English, abstract: The objective of this paper is to present a survey of trade issues in WTO membership from the perspective of developing countries putting Ethiopia in focus. Developing countries are a large percentage of the World Trade Organization (WTO) membership, in which Ethiopia is on process of acquiring membership. Trade liberalization may be unilateral, bilateral, sub-regional or multilateral. The end of the cold war has witnessed an increasingly growing wave of unilateral trade liberalization accompanied by a regulatory framework that facilitates and enhances the momentum. Although the impact of unilateral trade liberalization undertaken in many countries including Ethiopia deserves discussion, the theme of this article has necessitated focus on multilateral trade liberalization under the WTO system. As LDC, Ethiopia is likely to be given some flexibility in assuming liberalization commitments. However, it will be asked to agree to some threshold of liberalization, and it is important for Ethiopia to be prepared to undertake commitments and develop a negotiation strategy that protects its interests. In addition, to respond effectively to the requests of WTO members, it is indispensable for the government of Ethiopia to have thorough information and analyze the potential consequences of liberalization. This term paper has three main parts in which the first part will discuss about trade liberalization with its justification and protectionism and its effects on economic development. The second part of the paper will focus on the opportunities and challenges of WTO membership to developing countries. In this part the consequences of the WTO membership of the developing countries will be analyzed in terms of its benefits and harms. The third part of the paper deals with the necessary precautions the developing

The Role of Trade in Ending Poverty looks at the complex relationships between economic growth, poverty reduction and trade, and examines the challenges that poor people face in benefiting from trade opportunities. Written jointly by the World Bank Group and the WTO, the publication examines how trade could make a greater contribution to ending poverty by increasing efforts to lower trade costs, improve the enabling environment, implement trade policy in conjunction with other areas of policy, better manage risks faced by the poor, and improve data used for policy-making.

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject Business economics - Trade and Distribution, grade: A, Bahria University (School of Law), language: English, abstract: The objective of this paper is to present a survey of trade issues in WTO membership from the perspective of developing countries putting Ethiopia in focus. Developing countries are a large percentage of the World Trade Organization (WTO) membership, in which Ethiopia is on process of acquiring membership. Trade liberalization may be unilateral, bilateral, sub-regional or multilateral. The end of the cold war has witnessed an increasingly growing wave of unilateral trade liberalization accompanied by a regulatory framework that facilitates and enhances the momentum. Although the impact of unilateral trade liberalization undertaken in many countries including Ethiopia deserves discussion, the theme of this article has necessitated focus on multilateral trade liberalization under the WTO system. As LDC, Ethiopia is likely to be given some flexibility in assuming liberalization commitments. However, it will be asked to agree to some threshold of liberalization, and it is important for Ethiopia to be prepared to undertake commitments and develop a negotiation strategy that protects its interests. In addition, to respond effectively to the requests of WTO members, it is indispensable for the government of Ethiopia to have thorough information and analyze the potential consequences of liberalization. This term paper has three main parts in which the first part will discuss about trade liberalization with its justification and protectionism and its effects on economic development. The second part of the paper will focus on the opportunities and challenges of WTO membership to developing countries. In this part the consequences of the WTO membership of the developing countries will be analyzed in terms of its benefits and harms. The third part of the paper deals with the necessary precautions the developing countries are required to take before joining the WTO. In this part, the role of the WTO in helping the developing countries not to be affected negatively by becoming a member; necessary development level countries are required to attain before joining the WTO; and necessary measures to be undertaken during negotiation process not to take a commitment which will be against the national interest of the country. The fourth part deals on the Ethiopia WTO accession and assess the experience of WTO accessed least developing countries. Finally, the conclusion and recommendation with lessen to Ethiopia addressed.

This edition analyses how trade can contribute to economic diversification and empowerment, with a focus on eliminating extreme poverty, particularly through the effective participation of women and youth. It shows how aid for trade can contribute to that objective by addressing supply-side capacity and trade-related infrastructure constraints, including for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises notably in rural areas.

Publisher's description: Developing countries are increasingly confronted with the need to address trade policy related issues in international agreements, most prominently the World Trade Organization (WTO). New WTO negotiations on a broad range of subjects were launched in November 2001. Determining whether and how international trade agreements can support economic development is a major challenge. Stakeholders in developing countries must be informed on the issues and understand how their interests can be pursued through international cooperation. This handbook offers guidance on the design of trade policy reform, surveys key disciplines and the functioning of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and discusses numerous issues and options that confront developing countries in using international cooperation to improve domestic policy and obtain access to export markets. Many of the issues discussed are also relevant in the context of regional integration agreements. Separate sections of the handbook summarize what constitutes sound trade policy; the major aspects of the WTO from a development perspective; policy issues in the area of merchandise trade and the liberalization of international transactions in services; protection of intellectual property rights and economic development; new regulatory subjects that are emerging in the agenda of trade talks; and enhancing participation of developing countries in the global trading system.

Economic and social progress requires a diverse ecosystem of firms that play complementary roles. Making It Big: Why Developing Countries Need More Large Firms constitutes one of the most up-to-date assessments of how large firms are created in low- and middle-income countries and their role in development. It argues that large firms advance a range of development objectives in ways that other firms do not: large firms are more likely to innovate, export, and offer training and are more likely to adopt international standards of quality, among other contributions. Their particularities are closely associated with productivity advantages and translate into improved outcomes not only for their owners but also for their workers and for smaller enterprises in their value chains. The challenge for economic development, however, is that production does not reach economic scale in low- and middle-income countries. Why are large firms scarcer in developing countries? Drawing on a rare set of data from public and private sources, as well as proprietary data from the International Finance Corporation and case studies, this book shows that large firms are often born large—or with the attributes of largeness. In other words, what is distinct about them is often in place from day one of their operations. To fill the “missing top†? of the firm-size distribution with additional large firms, governments should support the creation of such firms by opening markets to greater competition. In low-income countries, this objective can be achieved through simple policy reorientation, such as breaking oligopolies, removing unnecessary restrictions to international trade and investment, and establishing strong rules to prevent the abuse of market power. Governments should also strive to ensure that private actors have the skills, technology, intelligence, infrastructure, and finance they need to create large ventures. Additionally, they should actively work to spread the benefits from production at scale across the largest possible number of market participants. This book seeks to bring frontier thinking and evidence on the role and origins of large firms to a wide range of readers, including academics, development practitioners and policy makers.

Global value chains (GVCs) powered the surge of international trade after 1990 and now account for almost half of all trade. This shift enabled an unprecedented economic convergence: poor countries grew rapidly and began to catch up with richer countries. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, however, the growth of trade has been sluggish and the expansion of GVCs has stalled. Meanwhile, serious threats have emerged to the model of trade-led growth. New technologies could draw production closer to the consumer and reduce the demand for labor. And trade conflicts among large countries could lead to a retrenchment or a segmentation of GVCs. World Development Report 2020: Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains examines whether there is still a path to development through GVCs and trade. It concludes that technological change is, at this stage, more a boon than a curse. GVCs can continue to boost growth, create better jobs, and reduce poverty provided that developing countries implement deeper reforms to promote GVC participation; industrial countries pursue open, predictable policies; and all countries revive multilateral cooperation.