IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/agspub/v1y2012i3p255-290.html

Intellectual Property Rights and the North-South Contest for Agricultural Germplasm: A Historical Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Tung-Yi Kho

Abstract

This article examines intellectual property rights (IPR) regimes as they apply to agricultural germplasm in the context of global North-South relations. The issue is pertinent particularly since TRIPs (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) became enshrined in the statutes of the World Trade Organization in 1994, institutionalizing the notion of ‘germplasm as property’ throughout the globe. Yet, the idea of ‘germplasm as property’ is a notion culturally specific to the global North historically. It is perhaps no surprise that many germplasm patents are being held on biological matter that originated in the South–in the Vavilovian ‘centers of diversity’. This paradox situates the contest over biodiversity resources in a world-historic context and undermines the declared reasons for germplasm IPRs. Besides, more than just a North-South conflict over resources, this episode features also a confrontation between competing worldviews of nature-human relations.

Suggested Citation

  • Tung-Yi Kho, 2012. "Intellectual Property Rights and the North-South Contest for Agricultural Germplasm: A Historical Perspective," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 1(3), pages 255-290, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:agspub:v:1:y:2012:i:3:p:255-290
    DOI: 10.1177/227797601200100302
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/227797601200100302
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/227797601200100302?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2001. "Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 2001," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 14779, April.
    2. Zvi Griliches, 1958. "Research Costs and Social Returns: Hybrid Corn and Related Innovations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(5), pages 419-419.
    3. Raustiala, Kal & Victor, David G., 2004. "The Regime Complex for Plant Genetic Resources," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 58(2), pages 277-309, April.
    4. World Bank, 2002. "Global Economic Prospects and the Developing Countries 2002," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 14050, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael A. Clemens, 2011. "Economics and Emigration: Trillion-Dollar Bills on the Sidewalk?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(3), pages 83-106, Summer.
    2. Nordås, Hildegunn Kyvik & Piermartini, Roberta, 2004. "Infrastructure and trade," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2004-04, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    3. John C. Beghin & David Roland-Holst & Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, 2002. "Global Agricultural Trade and the Doha Round: What are the Implications for North and South?," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 02-wp308, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    4. Mayeres, Inge & van Regemorter, Denise, 2002. "Modelling the Health Related Benefits of Environmental Policies: A CGE Model for the EU-15 Countries," Conference papers 331046, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    5. Jay Fabiosa & John Beghin & Amani Elobeid & Holger Matthey & Alexander Saak & Stéphane de Cara & Cheng Fang & Murat Isik & Pat Westhoff & D. Scott Brown & Brian Willott & Daniel Madison & Seth Meyer &, 2005. "The Doha Round of the World Trade Organization and Agricultural Markets Liberalization: Impacts on Developing Economies," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 27(3), pages 317-335.
    6. Dominique van der Mensbrugghe & John C. Beghin, 2004. "Global Agricultural Liberalization: An In-Depth Assessment of What Is At Stake," Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) Publications (archive only) 04-wp370, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    7. Henk Kox & Arjan Lejour, 2004. "A different approach to WTO negotiations in services," CPB Discussion Paper 36.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    8. Kym Anderson, 2005. "Agricultural trade reform and poverty reduction in developing countries," Chapters, in: Sisira Jayasuriya (ed.), Trade Policy Reforms and Development, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Perez-Rincon, Mario Alejandro, 2006. "Colombian international trade from a physical perspective: Towards an ecological "Prebisch thesis"," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(4), pages 519-529, October.
    10. Jansen, Marion, 2006. "Services trade liberalization at the regional level: Does Southern and Eastern Africa stand to gain from EPA negotiations?," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2006-06, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    11. Ram Upendra Das, 2009. "Regional Economic Integration in South Asia : Prospects and Challenges," Macroeconomics Working Papers 22987, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    12. Carlos M. Correa, 2016. "Intellectual Property: How Much Room is Left for Industrial Policy?," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(02), pages 1-22, June.
    13. Oulmane, Nassim & Sadni Jallab, Mustapha & Zidouemba, Patrice, 2020. "The African Continental Free Trade Area in a Covid-19 time : macroeconomic and sectoral impacts," Conference papers 333158, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    14. repec:dau:papers:123456789/6497 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Kimberly Ann. Elliott & Debayani Kar & J. David Richardson, 2004. "Assessing Globalization's Critics: "Talkers Are No Good Doers?"," NBER Chapters, in: Challenges to Globalization: Analyzing the Economics, pages 17-60, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Jiang, Yushi & Borojo, Dinkneh Gebre, 2018. "The impacts of institutional quality and infrastructure on overall and intra-Africa trade," Economics Discussion Papers 2018-75, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
    17. Upton, Martin, 2004. "The Role of Livestock in Economic Development and Poverty Reduction," PPLPI Working Papers 23783, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Pro-Poor Livestock Policy Initiative.
    18. Breisinger, Clemens, 2005. "Do Markets Care About Ethic Minorities? Evidence From A CGE Model for Northwest Vietnam," Conference papers 331356, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    19. Nora El-Bialy Ibrahim, 2008. "Software Piracy in Egypt: Analysis of the Institutional Environment and Efficiency of Enforcement Measures," Working Papers 13, The German University in Cairo, Faculty of Management Technology.
    20. Arza, Valeria & López, Andrés & Montes-Rojas, Gabriel & Pascuini, Paulo, 2023. "In the name of TRIPS: The impact of IPR harmonisation on patent activity in Latin America," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    21. Shanchao Wang & Julian M. Alston & Philip G. Pardey, 2025. "R&D lags in economic models," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(6), pages 842-862, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:agspub:v:1:y:2012:i:3:p:255-290. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.