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Welcome to E-TISNET
Monthly Information Sources
to offer you information on the
latest trade and investment publications
as well as worldwide websites relevant
to the Asia-Pacific region. E-TISNET
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Trade and Investment Information
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A. TRADE AND INVESTMENT PUBLICATIONS
A Policymakers’ Guide to Dutch
Disease. July 2006. Available online
(PDF-Format, 18 pages, 246 KB). Centre for
Global Development.
It is sometimes claimed that an increase
in aid might cause Dutch Disease –
that is, an appreciation of the real exchange
rate which can slow the growth of a country's
exports – and that aid increases might
thereby harm a country's long-term growth
prospects. This essay argues that it is
unlikely that a long-term, sustained and
predictable increase in aid would, through
the impact on the real exchange rate, do
more harm than good. The authors offer three
reasons: First, there is not necessarily
an adverse impact on exports from Dutch
Disease, and any impact on economic growth
may be small. Second, aid spent in part
on improving the supply side, e.g. investments
in infrastructure, education, government
institutions and health, result in productivity
benefits for the whole economy, which can
offset any loss of competitiveness from
the Dutch Disease effect. Third, the welfare
of a nation's citizens depends on their
consumption and investment, not just output.
Even on pessimistic assumptions, the additional
consumption and investment which the aid
finances is larger than any likely adverse
impact on output. However, the macroeconomic
effects of aid can cause substantial harm
if the aid is not sustained until its benefits
are realized. The costs of a temporary loss
of competitiveness might well exceed the
benefits of the short-term increase in aid.
To avoid doing harm, aid should be sustained
and predictable, and used in part to promote
economic growth. This maximizes the chances
that the long-term productivity and growth
benefits will offset the adverse effects,
which may be small if they exist at all.
Accessed on 30 August < http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/8709
>
Analysis of the Economic Impact
of Investment Provisions in Regional Trade
Agreements. July 2006. Available
online (PDF-Format, 63 pages, 616 KB).
OECD.
As countries turn more to regionalism
as a means of forwarding cooperation on
trade rules and other areas of policymaking,
rules on investment are increasingly being
incorporated into regional trade agreements
(RTAs). The authors analyze the economic
consequences of including investment provisions
in trade agreements by creating an index
of the extensiveness of investment provisions
in RTAs and then using that index in a
gravity model framework of trade and investment.
The results indicate that investment provisions
are positively associated with trade and,
to an even greater extent, investment
flows. Further, they observe an insignificant
effect of bilateral investment treaties
on investment flows, suggesting either
that substantive investment provisions
in RTAs impact trade and FDI flows more
profoundly, or that the combination of
substantive investment rules and provisions
liberalizing other parts of the economy
jointly impact trade and investment more
significantly.
Accessed on 18 September < http://appli1.oecd.org/olis/2005doc.nsf/
>
Bringing non-governmental Actors
into the Policymaking Process: The Case
of Local Development Policy in Thailand.
August 2006. Available online (PDF-Format,
29 pages, 366 KB). Discussion Paper No.
69, Institute of Developing Economies.
During the past two decades in Thailand,
non-governmental actors, such as NGOs, intellectuals,
and people’s organizations, have found
widening opportunities to participate in
policy formation and in the implementation
of local development. The Government has
facilitated the formation of civil society
forums, in the expectation of influencing
local-level governance. The last two national
five-year development plans were formulated
after taking into account the voices of
people in the provinces. Even though they
may seem petty, some State funds are now
transmitted through non-governmental institutions
for policy implementation at the grassroots
level. These changes have their origin in
a reformation of rural development administration
in early 1980s. This reformation in due
course led to policies that have allowed
the participation of non-governmental actors.
Meanwhile, rural people have proved their
ability to engage in participatory development
by forming various local organizations,
while NGOs have grown to be proficient facilitators
of local development. This paper describes
the process whereby three leading actors,
namely the Government, local people, and
the NGOs, have interacted to bring about
a more participatory system of local development
administration.
Accessed on 30 August < http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Dp/pdf/069_shigetomi.pdf
>
Investment Stagnation in East
Asia and Policy Implications for Sustainable
Growth. July 2006. Available
online (PDF-Format, 137 pages, 4.94 MB).
Korea Institute for International Economic
Policy (KIEP).
This publication examines the investment
trends in the post-recovery period in
Asian-crisis countries. The paper raises
two main issues. One issue is whether
the stagnation in investment is a permanent
phenomenon and, therefore, the period
of “East Asian Miracle” is
over. The other issue is why the volatility
of investment is so large during the post-crisis
period of 1999-2003. The paper addresses
these two issues and examine determinants
of investments in crisis-inflicted economies
during the post-crisis recovery period.
Accessed on 19 September < http://www.kiep.go.kr/inc/download_pub.asp?fnm=(2006-07-19-397070267795834)>
Poverty, Health, and Ecosystems:
Experience from Asia. 2006. Available
online (PDF-Format, 321 pages, 2.8 MB).
International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources and ADB.
This report provides a number of case studies
that highlight the challenges faced by poor
and often resource-dependent households
across Asia. They include analyses of pressures
facing agricultural systems in China, India
and Pakistan. They also cover examples of
links between freshwater or marine aquatic
ecosystems and those in Bangladesh, China,
India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
and Sri Lanka who depend upon them. Grassland
ecosystems provide pastures for livestock,
and a case from Mongolia examines these
relationships, while cases from China and
Nepal document how the poor rely on forests
for food, medicines, fuel wood and other
products. One case study looks at the complex
linkages between gender, poverty and environment,
while other cases from the highlands of
Viet Nam, tribal groups in Orissa, India
and in Yunnan Province of China illustrate
how ethnic minorities are among the most
poor and marginalized but also often the
most natural resource-dependent.
Accessed on 30 August < http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Poverty-Health-Ecosystems/default.asp
>
Southeast Asia Regional Economic
Integration and Cooperation. Deepening
and Broadening the Benefits for Human
Development. 2006. Available
online (PDF-Format, 72 pages, 758 KB).
UNDP Regional Centre in Colombo.
At a time when the Southeast Asian countries
are increasingly integrating into the
global economy, this report serves to
refocus attention on the very tangible
gains for human development that can be
achieved through deeper economic integration
and broader cooperation. An important
issue addressed is the bridging of inequalities
between countries of Southeast Asia, focusing
especially on the most disadvantaged among
them. The countries covered in this report
are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. The
overarching message is that by jointly
taking action on issues that transcend
national boundaries, countries can maximize
their development prospects and increase
their capacities to alleviate poverty,
promote regional peace and security, and
achieve sustainable development. Cooperation
that further integrates the region expands
opportunities of participating countries,
particularly those with less developed
economies, to realize faster and more
equitable economic growth and higher achievements
of human development for Southeast Asia.
Accessed on 30 August
<http://www.undprcc.lk/Publications/HDRU/SEA_Regional_Economic_Integration_and_Cooperation_(HDRU).pdf>
The International Role of the Dollar
and Trade Balance Adjustment. August
2006. Available online (PDF-Format, 30 pages,
179 K). Working Paper No. 12495. National
Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
The pattern of international trade adjustment
is affected by the continuing international
role of the United States dollar and related
evidence on exchange rate pass-through into
prices. This paper argues that a depreciation
of the United States dollar would have asymmetric
effects on flows between the United States
and its trading partners. With low exchange
rate pass-through to United States import
prices and high exchange rate pass-through
to the local prices of countries consuming
American exports, the effect of United States
dollar depreciation on real trade flows
is dominated by an adjustment in American
export quantities, which increase as American
goods become cheaper in the rest of the
world. Real American imports are affected
less because prices are more insulated from
exchange rate movements — pass-through
is low and dollar invoicing is high. In
relation to prices, the effects on the United
States terms of trade are limited: American
exporters earn the same amount of United
States dollars for each unit shipped abroad,
and American consumers do not encounter
more expensive imports. Movements in United
States dollar exchange rates also affect
the international trade transactions of
countries invoicing some of their trade
in United States dollars, even when these
countries are not transacting directly with
the United States.
Accessed on 19 September < http://papers.nber.org/papers/w12495.pdf
>
The World Trade Organization
and antidumping in developing countries.
September 2006. Available online (PDF-Format,
32 pages, 360 KB). Policy Research working
paper no. 4014, World Bank.
Since the 1995 inception of the World
Trade Organization (WTO), developing countries
have become some of the most frequent
users of the WTO-sanctioned antidumping
trade policy instrument. This paper exploits
newly available data to examine the pattern
of actual industrial use of antidumping
in nine of the major "new user"
developing countries - Argentina, Brazil,
Colombia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru,
Turkey and Venezuela. The econometric
analysis undertaken estimates a two-stage
model of the industry-level decision to
pursue an antidumping investigation and
the national Government's decision of
whether and how much antidumping import
protection to provide. First, the authors
find evidence consistent with the theory
of endogenous trade policy: larger industries
that face substantial import competition
are more likely to pursue an antidumping
investigation, and larger and more concentrated
industries receive greater antidumping
protection from imports. Second, they
find that industries that use antidumping
are more likely to face the changing economic
conditions specified by the technical
evidentiary criteria of the WTO Antidumping
Agreement: industries that face rapidly
falling import prices are more likely
to pursue an investigation, and industries
that are more susceptible to cyclical
dumping due to greater capital investment
expenditures and that face rapidly increasing
competition from imports receive greater
antidumping protection.
Accessed on 25 September < http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?
>
Trade Issues in the Doha Round:
Dispelling Some Misconceptions.
August 2006. Available online (PDF-Format,
24 pages, 333 KB). Policy Discussion Paper
No. 06/04, IMF.
This paper argues that the current round
of multilateral trade negotiations - the
Doha Round - presents an opportunity for
countries to reap the benefits of trade
liberalization. Unfortunately, a number
of misconceptions about the likely impact
of trade reforms has, in part, impeded more
rapid progress toward completion of the
round. This paper addresses some of the
most outstanding of these misconceptions
and presents results from IMF research that
sheds light on these issues. In particular,
this paper argues that: (i) developing countries
have much to gain from their own trade liberalization;
(ii) preference erosion could be significant
for some countries, but it is not a justification
for postponing tariff reductions; (iii)
tariffs applied against agricultural products
in rich countries actually harm developing
countries more than subsidies; and (iv)
a disproportionate share of agricultural
subsidies in rich countries goes to large
wealthy farmers.
Accessed on 30 August < http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=19398
>
Traders’ Manual for Landlocked
Countries: Mongolia. August 2006.
Available online (PDF-Format, 62 pages,
963 KB). UNESCAP.
The Traders’ Manual for Mongolia
offers updated information on the trade
and investment environment in Mongolia,
with a short description of the country’s
economic development and structure. The
information includes Mongolia’s
trade policy, import and export rules,
regulations and procedures, foreign investment
policy, regulations, procedures and incentives,
its foreign exchange regime, and marketing
and distribution information. It also
provides relevant trade and investment
contacts.
Accessed on 18 September < http://www.unescap.org/tid/publication/tipub2422.pdf
>
B. SELECTED WORLDWIDE WEBSITES
http://www.3dthree.org
3D: Trade - Human Rights - Equitable
Economy
E-mail: info@3dthree.org
3D: Trade - Human Rights - Equitable Economy
is a non-profit non-governmental organization
that promotes collaboration amongst trade,
development and human rights professionals,
to ensure that trade rules are developed
and applied in ways that promote an equitable
economy. 3D publishes training and teaching
materials on trade, on human rights and
on trade and human rights. Furthermore,
the website offers action updates on trade,
human rights and the economy (THREAD), a
series of topical information and action-alerts
on trade, designed for people concerned
with human rights. Other publications include
policy briefs, country briefings and issue-specific
articles and publications.
http://www.apibc.org.au/
Australia Pacific Islands Business
Council (APIBC)
The Australia Pacific Islands Business
Council is a non-profit association of
Australia-based businesses with interests
in the Pacific island countries (PICs).
The Council’s goals are to advance
the interests of Australian business in
the PICs and Pacific islands’ business
with interests in Australia by increasing
bilateral trade and investment between
Australia and the Pacific region; encouraging
the further development and expansion
of the economies of the PICs; representing
Australian business interests to the Australian
and Pacific islands Governments; and by
providing a network of business people
with shared interests in the Pacific island
economies.
http://www.cbsi.com.sb
Central Bank of Solomon Islands
(CBSI)
E-mail: info@cbsi.com.sb
The Central Bank of Solomon Islands is
the premier financial institution in the
Solomon Islands. Its primary functions
are to formulate and implement monetary
policies and to exercise discretionary
control over the monetary system. The
Economics Department publishes annual
reports, quarterly reviews, monthly economic
bulletins and annual monetary policy stances,
all accessible for free on the website.
Further resources available online include
documents of the Financial Intelligence
Unit which deals with money laundering
and proceeds of crime. The website also
offers access to investment related regulation,
Government speeches and financial results.
http://www.cpath.org/
Centre for Policy Analysis in
Trade and Health (CPATH)
E-mail: info@cpath.org
The Centre for Policy Analysis on Trade
and Health is a non-profit organization
that conducts research, policy analysis
and advocacy in the interest of protecting
and improving the health of individuals,
communities and populations; expanding
access to health-related services and
advancing global economic policies that
are democratic, sustainable and socially
fair. The CPATH Globalization and Health
Resource Centre serves as a central information
resource about the relationships between
economic globalization, international
trade agreements and economic policy,
and public health. It hosts reports from
CPATH and other organizations, official
texts and links to relevant organizations
and publications
http://www.ciionline.org/
Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII)
E-mail: ciico@ciionline.org
The Confederation of Indian Industry works
to create and sustain an environment conducive
to the growth of industry in India, partnering
industry and Government alike through
advisory and consultative processes. It
has a direct membership of over 6000 organizations
from the private as well as public sectors,
including small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) and multi-national corporations
(MNCs) and indirect membership of over
98,000 companies from around 342 national
and regional sectoral associations. CII
catalyses change by working closely with
Government on policy issues, enhancing
efficiency, competitiveness and expanding
business opportunities for industry through
a range of specialized services and global
linkages.
http://www.ganasso.org
Garment Association Nepal (GAN)
E-mail: gan@ntc.net.np,
gan@asso.wlink.com.np
The Garment Association Nepal is the apex
organization of the manufacturers and
exporters of readymade garments in Nepal.
The principle objectives of the association
are the promotion of the interests of
member institutions through coordinated
dissemination of relevant information,
and encouragement and safeguarding the
interests of the garment sector through
interaction and assistance with the Government.
The website offers a general introduction
to the structure and the history of the
Nepalese garment industry, information
on quotas and the utilization thereof,
data on overseas exports, a directory
of members, and more.
http://www.tradewatchoz.org/
Global Trade Watch
E-mail: info@tradewatchoz.org
Global Trade Watch is an Australian grassroots
group campaigning for democratic, environmentally
sustainable and fair trading systems.
Global Trade Watch offers monthly electronic
newsletters; publications on trade-related
issues and Australia; and background information
on globalization and the global economy,
the WTO, and alternatives to current global
trade structures.
http://www.rosettanet.org/
RosettaNet
E-mail: info@rosettanet.org
RosettaNet is a standard organization
that develops universal standards for
the global supply chain. Furthermore,
RosettaNet implements and certifies adoption
of these standards, ensuring that one
set of governance rules applies worldwide.
The standards that RosettaNet specifies
provide business value, and RosettaNet
users specify best practices that allow
users to maximize reductions in cycle
time, reductions in inventory costs, improved
productivity through automation and measurable
supply chain return on investment. RosettaNet
standards seek and achieve convergence
with other global standards, allowing
a simple implementation of complex collaborative
processes. Regional partners of RosettaNet
receive access to regional consortium
knowledge, expertise, services, and support
resources. The regional partners are Australia,
China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan Province
of China and Thailand.
http://www.tshongrig.org/
Tshong-Rig Knowledge Center, Bhutan
E-mail: io.bcci@druknet.bt
The Tshong-Rig Knowledge Center provides
a one-stop information resource for the
private sector of Bhutan and has been
jointly established by the Bhutan Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), and the
South-Asia Enterprise Development Facility
(SEDF) of the International Finance Corporation
(IFC). The core product of the Knowledge
Center is "Tshong-Rig", the
Bhutanese version of the "SME Tool-kit",
a web-based platform designed to meet
the needs of the private sector of Bhutan.
Besides containing various local forms
and applications, "Tshong-Rig"
also contains software intended to enable
owners and managers of SMEs to improve
their management practices and grow their
businesses. The services provided by the
Knowledge Center include audio-visual
self learning software and tools; facilitation
of networking among SMEs; library services;
and office-support services.
http://www.wipo.int
World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO)
The World Intellectual Property Organization
is a specialized agency of the United
Nations. It is dedicated to developing
a balanced and accessible international
intellectual property (IP) system, which
rewards creativity, stimulates innovation
and contributes to economic development
while safeguarding the public interest.
The five strategic goals currently are
to promote an IP culture; to integrate
IP into national development policies
and programmes; to develop international
IP laws and standards; to deliver quality
services in global IP protection systems;
and to increase the efficiency of WIPO’s
management and support processes. The
website offers access to publications
of a wide range of topics, searchable
IP databases, collection of laws, directory
of IP offices, statistics and more.
Information is taken mainly from secondary
sources and UNESCAP accepts no responsibility
for its accuracy. Mention of any companies
and their products does not imply endorsement
by the United Nations.
The designations
employed and the presentation of the material
in this publication do not imply the expression
of any opinion whatsoever on the part of
the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning
the legal status of any country, territory,
city or area, or of its authorities, or
concerning the delimitation of its frontiers
or boundaries.
©2006 United Nations
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ISSUE
10/2006