Since the Doha Ministerial, the developing countries have been raising issues related to the indigenous knowledge system (IKS) and access and benefit sharing (ABS) in context of conflict between the CBD and the TRIPs. Though the Doha Development Agenda (Paragraph 19) did acknowledge the need of...

The debate about identification of environmentally sensitive goods (ESGs) is highly complex as discussed in the economic literature. In the context of SAFTA, ESGs assumes significance as the region is significantly dependent on these products for trade. In this paper an attempt has been made to...

In response to the 1997 East Asian financial crisis many schemes were initiated to reform the international financial architecture. The proposed reforms had two wideranging objectives : (i) to prevent currency and banking crises and better manage them when they occur; and (ii) to support...

This paper investigates the prevailing financial regulatory structures and impact of the current financial turmoil on banking performance in four Asian economies : the People's Republic of China (PRC); Hong Kong, China; Singapore; and Taipei,China. Both the PRC and Hong Kong, China operate under a...

In recent past, India has taken several measures to implement the trade facilitation measures. These have helped the private sector in a major way and have also helped in setting the stage for a WTO agreement in this regard which is all set to be launched depending on the negotiation dynamics....

The objective of this paper is to explore how the external balance of the United States (US) might evolve in future years as the economy emerges from the recession. We examine the issue from the domestic perspective of the saving and investment balance and from the external side in terms of the...

This study attempts to conduct an investigation of the characteristics of the South Asian stock markets including the effects of the opening of these markets. These markets were liberalised in early 1990s as a part of the economic reforms started in theSouth Asian region about two decadesago....

Despite the increasing recognition that the renminbi (RMB) may eventually become a key global currency, several important questions remain to be answered. This paper analyzes the benefits and costs of the RMB becoming an international currency. The benefits include reduced exchange risk,...

Despite the increasing recognition that the renminbi (RMB) may eventually become a key global currency, several important questions remain to be answered. This paper analyzes the benefits and costs of the RMB becoming an international currency. The benefits include reduced exchange risk,...

This paper explores the ways in which macroeconomic imbalances have driven policy discussions between the United States (US) and People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the last decade. The PRC’s current account surplus, its growing foreign exchange reserves, and its shifting policies...