Dumping is one of the most poorly understood and contentious issues in trade policy. The primary reason is that the agreed definitions of dumping are not based on a solid economic foundation. This allows antidumping measures to be used for protectionist ends and to harass trade partners. While...

Debates over proposals to liberalise international trade are often heated and acrimonious. They are often argued, in part, on the basis of projections of market conditions after the proposed liberalisation. These argument are often important in influencing trade policy decisions, yet their...

Multilateral trade negotiations are, by design, becoming increasingly complex. The current degree of complexity limits the ability to assess the effects of a potential agreement and inhibits the transparency needed to reach an agreement. Despite the considerable recent efforts at capacity...

The European Union is attempting to have the protection of geographic indicators strengthened in the WTO. There may be sufficient rents and other benefits available to justify this strategy in the negotiations. To achieve its rent-seeking goals, however, the European Union needs allies at the...

In the economic model that underlies the WTO the only group that can be expected to ask for protection is producers in importing countries. The existing multilateral trade architecture reflects that assumption. Much of the recent criticism of the multilateral trade regime has arisen as a result...

The discovery of BSE in Canada's cattle herd on May 20, 2003 has led to lost market access for Canadian cattle and beef in many countries. The Canadian cattle industry is extremely export dependent, and the loss of almost all of major export markets has had a devastating impact. Over a year...

The accession of China to the WTO may take place in the near future. While much attention has been given to the effect this will have on international trade and the Chinese economy, less attention has been given to the effect on the WTO. China is a large, developing, transition economy that is...

The NAFTA increasingly looks like a "one-shot" deal with little of the ongoing deepening of economic relationships expected at the time of its negotiation and no provisions for ongoing negotiations. As a result, alternative trading arrangements may provide an opportunity to move the North...

In recent years, governments have negotiated a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) that include clauses regarding trade measures that conflict with their WTO obligations. As yet, there has been no formal dispute regarding which obligations should prevail, but the threat of...