Regionalism became a major issue in international commercial diplomacy during the 1990s. The European Union's 1992 program, the formation of NAFTA, and attempts to form or strengthen regional trading arrangements in South America, southern Africa, and Southeast Asia were all viewed as challenges to the nondiscrimination principle that had been the cornerstone of the postwar international trading system. This book provides a unified analysis of policies which discriminate among trading partners, featuring ample treatments of both history and theory as well as a review of empirical studies.

Developing countries are active participants in the formation of regional trade arrangements (RTAs), but viewpoints differ on the desirability and on the efficient design of regional integration. The first objective of this paper is to review the regional integration debate for those involved in the preparation of food security strategies among developing countries. The paper concentrates primarily on the economic arguments while acknowledging that political motivations may often be the primary driving force behind RTAs. The second objective of the paper is to identify the potential role which regional integration arrangements might make to promoting food security among their members.

The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a dominant player in trade and will continue to be an influential component of world trade and economics. This book presents an informative outlook on the various regional and trade agreements (RTAs) and their beneficial effects on bilateral trade. In particular, the authors concentrate on India and China, the two major rising powers, and the impact of exchange of information and sharing of resources between these two countries in wide-ranging areas. It provides an incisive analysis and a roundup of all major RTAs and also presents an overview of all major agreements between the countries involved, which might propel their trade numbers and influence future economic engagements. The book also discusses possible obstacles that are encountered during the implementation of RTAs and circumvention routes that can be taken to ensure the successful execution of the agreements. International trade agreements, such as General Agreements on Trade and Tariffs, which have revolutionized the trade dynamics by opening up new areas of trade and formulating specific guidelines for the member countries to adhere to during trade negotiations, are discussed. The book also provides new insights into some of the issues under negotiation, such as sensitive lists, trade, investment cooperation, and trade in services. The existing economic cooperation arrangements in the region as well as those that are at various stages of study and negotiations, empirical insights and policy suggestions are elucidated in detail.

This book provides fresh insights into the theory and policy of regional and multilateral trade from the perspective of developing countries. With the collapse of talks at the WTO Doha round, regionalism has proliferated in the form of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). This in turn has raised a number of critical issues in global trade policy debate. Given the implication of RTAs and WTO negotiations on economic development, the book emphasises that it is essential to examine the macro and micro effects of international trade flows on welfare, revenue, poverty and environment, particularly in the light of diversities, heterogeneities and limited financial capacity of developing countries. It discusses various issues of trade, investment, poverty, gender and legal dimensions in the regional and multilateral framework and is a useful guide to formulation of trade and economic policies for the benefit of developing countries. The book will be of primary interest to those in economics, commerce and management, and will be a useful reference for alternative research in this area.

The international setting and the resurgence of regionalism; Regional trading arrangements in economic theory; The ASEAN economies in the global trading system; ASEAN economic arrangements and the free trade area plan; Quantitative analysis of the AFTA plan.

Recent trade initiatives suggest that there is renewed interest in forming tariff-free regional trading zones. Running concurrent with this move toward regional integration is the multilateral process of global trade liberalization. This text looks at the two issues. Chapter one examines the inherent conflict between the two main approaches to reducing barriers to trade - economic integration, and multilateralism. Chapter two provides a theoretical framework for evaluating the relative accomplishments of both regional trading blocs and multilateral free trade. Chapter three utilizes a number of theoretical constructs to evaluate the effects of regional trading arrangements, and discusses the trade history of the European Union. Chapter four provides an analysis of the trade effects of tariff reductions achieved under the GATT system, and chapter five provides recommendations for ensuring continued progress in multilateral tariff reductions under the banner of the World Trade Organization.