Latest content: Trade and economy

The paper seeks to identify key issues and priorities for small states in the WTO in relation to advancing the Work Programme on Small Economies (WPSE), of which affirmation was made at the Nairobi Ministerial Conference.

Small island developing states (SIDS) have common economic challenges and are faced with high costs for energy, infrastructure, transportation, trade logistics and public administration.

This paper asks what implications the agreement to address the challenges of climate change from the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) might have for trade and investment policy in Commonwealth member countries.

This paper assesses the export-oriented clothing industry in the five main sub-Saharan African (SSA) clothing exporter countries (Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, Lesotho and Swaziland).

Fundamental changes are taking place in the global trade landscape, and the Commonwealth, with its diverse membership, is adapting to and coming to terms with these changes. This shifting landscape offers tremendous potential for Commonwealth countries to expand their trade – both between members and their overall trade. Although it is not a trading bloc, member countries can also take advantage of and leverage the Commonwealth for greater gains, while focusing on several broader priorities to improve their trade performance.

Since the expiry of the ‘peace clause’ at the end of 2003, it has been unclear which obligations under the WTO SCM Agreement apply to subsidies granted to agricultural products.

This paper examines the importance of gender equality in trade and asks if an increase in the participation of women in senior roles in trade negotiation processes can result in more gender-equitable trade outcomes.

This paper provides empirical evidence on the production- and trade-distorting effects of the Green Box (GB) subsidies of developed countries.

This paper is focused on the protection of traditional knowledge (TK), including origin products, as a means of fostering the development of local communities in developing countries.

This paper outlines a new analytical framework for understanding how Commonwealth countries are responding to global challenges outlined in Part I of the review.

This issue of Trade Express focuses on the support provided by The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Trade Division to the National Export Strategy (NES) Secretariat to design Jamaica’s second NES.

This paper studies the evolution of the Commonwealth trade network and considers the interrelationship between Commonwealth member countries and other important players in the global economy, and intra-Commonwealth country trade flows.

This paper examines the economic impact of trade facilitation between Commonwealth members, using a global computable general equilibrium framework.

The paper examines the relationship between the burgeoning diasporic economy and the ways in which it facilitates the growth of trade, entrepreneurship and investment between migrant sending and receiving countries in the Commonwealth.

This study assembles data on bilateral goods and services trade flows for 242 countries over the period 1995–2010 and uses both descriptive statistics and sophisticated econometric techniques to understand the nature and structure of intra-Commonwealth trade, its determinants, and the trade effect of being a part of the Commonwealth.

This paper considers how access to international markets affects development and growth, with a particular emphasis on the Commonwealth countries.

The paper undertakes the estimation of two alternative indicators of integration—potential trade and trade distance—by estimating the Global Gravity Model, consisting a panel data of nearly 100 largest trading partners of the world and 12–years period during 2002–13.

Understanding the global/regional value chain interface remains an important research endeavour including within the Commonwealth.

This study highlights the emerging dynamics and further potential of intra-Commonwealth trade and investment.

This issue of Commonwealth Trade Hot Topics focuses on the integration of small economies in value chains in the agrifood, seafood, and textiles and apparel sectors in the case of goods, and in tourism as well as IT and business process outsourcing in the case of services.

Developing countries, including as small states and least developed countries (LDCs), continue to face significant challenges within the global trading system. Action is required to allow them to overcome disadvantages and achieve sustainable levels of income from trade.

This issue of Commonwealth Trade Hot Topics will focus only on non-tariff measures (NTMs) as they fall within the non-agricultural market access (NAMA) pillar of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations in light of the WTO 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

This issue of Trade Express focuses on the support provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Trade Competitiveness Section to the Government of Barbados in order to revitalise the services sector in the country through the development of a National Services Sector Development Plan (NSSD).