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Services Trade Liberalization and Regulatory Reform: Re-invigorating International Cooperation

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Abstract

Trade and investment in services is inhibited by a range of policy restrictions, but the best offers so far in the Doha negotiations are on average twice as restrictive as actual policy. They will generate no additional market opening. Regulatory concerns help explain the limited progress. We develop two proposals to enhance the prospects for both liberalization of services trade and regulatory reform. The first is for governments to create mechanisms ('services knowledge platforms') to bring together regulators, trade officials and stakeholders to discuss services regulatory reform. Such mechanisms could identify reform priorities and opportunities for utilization of 'aid for trade' resources, thereby putting in place the preconditions for future market opening. The second proposal is for a new approach to negotiations in the WTO, with a critical mass of countries that account for the bulk of services production agreeing to lock-in applied levels of protection and pre-committing to reform of policies affecting FDI and international movement for individual service providers--two areas where current policy is most restrictive and potential benefits from liberalization are greatest. If these proposals cannot be fully implemented in the Doha time frame, then any Doha agreement could at least lay the basis for a forward-looking program of international cooperation along the proposed lines.

Suggested Citation

  • Mattoo, Aaditya, 2011. "Services Trade Liberalization and Regulatory Reform: Re-invigorating International Cooperation," CEPR Discussion Papers 8181, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8181
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    Cited by:

    1. Xin Fu & Tangyou Wang & Hongxu Yang, 2023. "Does Service Trade Liberalization Promote Service Productivity? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-22, April.
    2. Matthieu Crozet & Emmanuel Milet & Daniel Mirza, 2013. "The Discriminatory Effect of Domestic Regulations on International Trade in Services: Evidence from Firm-Level Data," Post-Print halshs-00801398, HAL.
    3. World Bank, 2012. "World Development Report 2013 [Rapport sur le développement dans le monde 2013]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 11843, December.
    4. Gary Clyde Hufbauer & J. Bradford Jensen & Sherry Stephenson & Julia Muir & Martin Vieiro, 2012. "Framework for the International Services Agreement," Policy Briefs PB12-10, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    5. Masahiro Kawai & Ganeshan Wignaraja, 2014. "Policy challenges posed by Asian free trade agreements: a review of the evidence," Chapters, in: Richard Baldwin & Masahiro Kawai & Ganeshan Wignaraja (ed.), A World Trade Organization for the 21st Century, chapter 8, pages 182-238, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Fan, Ying, 2011. "Services Policy Reform in the People’s Republic of China: Before and After the Global Financial Crisis," ADBI Working Papers 304, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    7. Philippa Dee & Anne McNaughton, 2013. "Promoting Domestic Reforms through Regionalism," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Services Trade Reform Making Sense of It, chapter 14, pages 381-427, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    8. Françoise Okah Efogo, 2020. "Does trade in services improve African participation in global value chains?," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 32(4), pages 758-772, December.
    9. Schott, Jeffrey J. & Lee, Minsoo & Muir, Julia, 2012. "Prospects for Services Trade Negotiations," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 319, Asian Development Bank.
    10. Claes G. Alvstam & Erja Kettunen & Patrik Ström, 2017. "The service sector in the free-trade agreement between the EU and Singapore: closing the gap between policy and business realities," Asia Europe Journal, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 75-105, March.
    11. Masahiro Kawai & Ganeshan Wignaraja, 2014. "Evolving trade policy architecture and FTAs in Asia," Chapters, in: Masahiro Kawai & Peter J. Morgan & Pradumna B. Rana (ed.), New Global Economic Architecture, chapter 7, pages 148-171, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Dowlah Caf, 2012. "Mode 4 of WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services: Can it spur Cross-Border Labor Mobility from Developing Countries?," The Law and Development Review, De Gruyter, vol. 5(2), pages 56-82, December.
    13. Klishchuk Bogdan & Zelenyuk Valentin, 2012. "Impact of Services LIberalization on Firm Level Productivity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia," EERC Working Paper Series 12/03e, EERC Research Network, Russia and CIS.
    14. Sauvé, Pierre & Ward, Natasha Fiona, 2012. "The Preferential Liberalization of Trade in Services: African Perspectives And Challenges," Papers 280, World Trade Institute.
    15. Erik der Marel & Sébastien Miroudot, 2014. "The economics and political economy of going beyond the GATS," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 205-239, June.
    16. Tarr, David, 2012. "Impact of services liberalization on industry productivity, exports and development : six empirical studies in the transition countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6023, The World Bank.
    17. Matthieu Crozet & Emmanuel Milet & Daniel Mirza, 2012. "The Discriminatory Effect of Domestic Regulations on International Services Trade," Working Papers 2012-02, CEPII research center.
    18. Rahul Anand & Ms. Kalpana Kochhar & Mr. Saurabh Mishra, 2015. "Make in India: Which Exports Can Drive the Next Wave of Growth?," IMF Working Papers 2015/119, International Monetary Fund.
    19. Klaus Deutsch, 2011. "Doha or Dada: The World Trade Regime at an Historic Crossroads," Working Papers id:4292, eSocialSciences.
    20. Kawai, Masahiro & Wignaraja, Ganeshan, 2014. "Trade Policy and Growth in Asia," ADBI Working Papers 495, Asian Development Bank Institute.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Aid for trade; Development assistance; Gats; International negotiations; Knowledge platforms; Services regulation; Trade agreements; Trade liberalization; Wto;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business
    • F5 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy
    • L80 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - General

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