By Sandra Polaski
Smaller developing countries in Africa and elsewhere could become poorer with liberalization
Click here to read a preview of the findings of this study. The full report will be published in February 2006.
After limited progress in Hong Kong last week, trade ministers from around the world will try again in the spring to break the stalemate in the Doha Round of WTO negotiations. At Hong Kong, attention shifted from the traditional focus on interests of powerful traders such as the US and European Union to the concerns of developing countries. This reflects both the growing weight of the developing world in the global trading system and recognition that those countries are effectively using their clout to insist that their interests must be addressed.
What will it take to get a deal that delivers real benefits for poor countries? A new economic model commissioned and analyzed by trade and development expert Sandra Polaski traces the impact of Doha proposals on different countries to find answers. Under current approaches, some poor countries will benefit, but many others, particularly in Africa, would actually lose income or share of world export markets.
Preliminary results from this new model are presented here, showing the very different economic effects of potential Doha agreements on various regions of the world. Click here for a preview of the study's findings.
Sandra Polaski is Senior Associate and Director of the Trade, Equity and Development Project at the Carnegie Endowment. She has researched and written extensively on the impact of global trade on the world’s poor. Previously she served as the U.S. Department of State’s senior official dealing with international labor affairs.
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