Multilateralising Regionalism

"This book is based on a 10-13 September 2007 conference in Geneva that was jointly organized by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, and the WTO Secretariat with the help of CEPR."--Acknowledgements.

A collection of revised papers from the 'Multilateralizing Regionalism' conference, held at the WTO in September 2007.

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated around the world in the past two decades, and now nearly all members of the WTO are party to at least one. Besides tariffs and rules of origin regulating trade in goods, many RTAs now include provisions on services, investments, technical barriers to trade and competition rules, as well as a host of issues not directly related to trade. The geographic reach of RTAs is expanding, with transcontinental agreements spreading forcefully alongside intra-regional agreements. 'Multilateralizing Regionalism' was the title of a major conference held from 10-12 September 2007 at the WTO in Geneva. Brought together in this publication, the conference papers achieve two things. First, they marshall detailed, new empirical work on the nature of the 'Spaghetti Bowl' and the problems it poses for the multilateral trade system. Second, they contribute fresh and creative thinking on how to 'tame the tangle' of regional trade agreements.

A collection of revised papers from the 'Multilateralizing Regionalism' conference, held at the WTO in September 2007.

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated around the world in the past two decades, and now nearly all members of the WTO are party to at least one. Besides tariffs and rules of origin regulating trade in goods, many RTAs now include provisions on services, investments, technical barriers to trade and competition rules, as well as a host of issues not directly related to trade. The geographic reach of RTAs is expanding, with transcontinental agreements spreading forcefully alongside intra-regional agreements. 'Multilateralizing Regionalism' was the title of a major conference held from 10–12 September 2007 at the WTO in Geneva. Brought together in this publication, the conference papers achieve two things. First, they marshall detailed, new empirical work on the nature of the 'Spaghetti Bowl' and the problems it poses for the multilateral trade system. Second, they contribute fresh and creative thinking on how to 'tame the tangle' of regional trade agreements.

This paper addresses the final steps to global free trade -- the political economy forces that might drive them, and the role the WTO might play in guiding them. Two facts form the departure point: 1) Regionalism is here to stay; 2) the motley assortment of regional trade agreements is not the best way to organise world trade. Moving to global duty-free trade will require a multilateralisation of regionalism. The paper presents the political economy logic of trade liberalisation and uses it to structure a narrative of world trade liberalisation since 1947. The logic is then used to project the world tariff map in 2010, arguing that the pattern will be marked by fractals - fuzzy, leaky trade blocs made up of fuzzy, leaky sub-blocs (fuzzy since the proliferation of FTAs makes it impossible to draw sharp lines around the 3 big blocs, and leaky since some FTAs create free trade 'canals' linking the blocs). The paper then presents a novel political economy mechanism - spaghetti bowls as building blocs - whereby offshoring creates a force that encourages the multilateralisation of regionalism. Finally, the paper suggests three things the WTO could do to help multilateralise regionalism.

This is the fifteenth volume in an annual series in which leading economists provide a concise and accessible evaluation of major developments in trade and trade policy. Examines key issues pertinent to the multinational trading system, as well as regional trade arrangements and policy developments at the national level Provides up-to-date assessments of the World Trade Organization's current Trade Policy Reviews Analyses trade policy in areas such as Japan, Indonesia, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates Investigates the challenge of aligning the mission, means, and legitimacy of international organizations Contributors including John Walley and Jan Aart Scholte also examine the concept of globalization – both its definition and its values A vital resource for researchers, analysts, and policy-advisors interested in trade policy and other open economy issues

International Handbook of Economic Integration edited by Miroslav Jovanovi provides timely and rich academic contributions to considerations of the widest array of integration-related issues. European integration has been providing an inspiration to a number of academics and researchers. The Handbook is a recognition of the dynamic and strong solidarity of the European integration. At the same time, the European Union often provided an example for integration schemes throughout the world which spread enormously since the mid-1990s. Leading experts from all continents contributed to this Handbook which will be a valuable input into academic and policy-making discussions and actions. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission Miroslav Jovanovi s publication represents a rich contribution to the complex issue of regional integration, its benefits, its shortcomings, and its relationship with multilateral trade opening. It sheds light over an issue which is the subject of intense discussions in trade circles. Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the WTO Much has been written on trade agreements as a mechanism to integrate the markets of two of more countries often inspired by the European example. In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on the importance of economic geography as a determinant of industrial location. This book combines the two strands of analysis, bringing together leading experts in the fields of economic geography and international trade. The result is an outstanding compilation of papers that illuminate how policies and economic forces affect the location of economic activity in an integrated Europe. Bernard Hoekman, Director, The World Bank, US The open multilateral trading system is a tremendous success of the past half century, and has contributed greatly to the world s unprecedented rate of economic growth. Over the past two decades however, preferential trading arrangements have proliferated, raising questions as to how compatible they are with the open multilateral system, and what policies might be adopted to improve outcomes. The essays in this volume detail the emergence of PTAS and provide comprehensive and up-to-date analyses of the state of play of preferential arrangements in all regions of the world. The volume will provide a useful reference for all those wanting to understand existing preferential arrangements and their role in the international economy today. Anne O. Krueger, Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University, US Economic integration is a complex and multifaceted giant, with a myriad aspects ranging from regional and global concentration and dispersal of economic activity to social and political consequences for individuals and communities in developed and developing countries alike. This landmark, three volume collection of chapters by leading authors, drawn from many fields, is a worthy and timely contribution to the analysis of a phenomenon with profound implications for the future world economy - and its governance. James Zhan, Director, Investment & Enterprise Division, UNCTAD With this Handbook, Miroslav Jovanovi has provided readers with both an excellent stand-alone original reference book as well as the first volume in a comprehensive three-volume set. This introduction into a rich and expanding academic and practical world of international economic integration also provides a theoretical and analytical framework to the reader, presenting select analytical studies and encouraging further research. International Handbook on the Economics of Integration, Volume I covers two broad themes: general integration issues and regional integration groups. The first part discusses topics that range from an overview of the regional integration deals registered with the World Trade Organization, to multilateralism and regionalism, hub-and-spoke integration networks, limits to integration, rules of origin, and globalization. The second part of the Han