This paper explores several mechanisms by which the barriers imposed by rules of origin may be reduced through effective trade facilitation efforts. Also discussed are the functional similarities of a variety of other requirements on international trade with rules of origin, including...

This paper maps out Rules of Origin (RoO) in regional trade agreements (RTAs) around the world, and observes that the restrictiveness and complexity of RoO are driven by factors specific to each RTA, including economy size and level of development. Given the powerful political economy forces...

This paper explores several mechanisms by which the barriers imposed by rules of origin may be reduced through effective trade facilitation efforts. Also discussed are the functional similarities of a variety of other requirements on international trade with rules of origin, including...

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated over the past decade around the world to cover nearly half of global trade. The number of RTAs notified to the WTO is approaching 200, while the total number of RTAs around the world exceeds 300. The global RTA spree has forged a veritable...

This IDB Working Paper is intended to provide an overview of how the agricultural sector is treated in regional trade agreements (RTAs) involving Latin American countries, whose exports tend to be more oriented towards agriculture. The paper compares the treatment of agriculture in RTAs between...

The Americas have been a key driver of regional trade agreements (RTAs) since the 1990s. This study considers the effect of these agreements on trade liberalization, and the lessons that this offers for other parts of the world, notably Asia. It finds broad geographical coverage of RTAs in the...

As Latin America and the Caribbean bounce back from a sanitary crisis of historic proportions, the search is on for policies that can accelerate recovery while boosting longterm growth. In a scenario of tight fiscal constraints, trade and integration (T&I) policies seem to fit this description....

Online Technical Appendix to "Fighting Global Warming: Is Trade Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean a Help or a Hindrance?"It describes in more detail the data sources, the empirical strategy; and presents a series of robustness checks.

The dire prospects of global warming have been increasing the pressure on policymakers to use trade policy as a mitigation tool, challenging trade economists' canonical "targeting principle." Even though the justifications for this stance remain as valid as ever, it no longer seems feasible in a...