Third World Stakes in Trade Negotiations: Recent Developments, Issues and Implications for AID Support Activities

摘要

The report provides an overview of the stakes in trade liberalization, a summary of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT) issues and progress, and some options for A.I.D. policy dialogue and programming. In the Uruguay round, many developing countries are abandoning their earlier insistence on preserving special and deferential treatment and are seeking full participation in the global economy. To succeed, however, they will have to upgrade their own capacity to assess national and sectoral self-interest. In this context, A.I.D. should focus its support on: (1) developing analytical capacity to evaluate and monitor country, sectoral, and industry self-interest; (2) improving competitiveness through such means as meeting international quality standards, access to technology and other inputs, and regulatory systems that encourage private initiative; and (3) conducting cost-benefit analyses of greater participation in international markets and designing adjustment assistance and safety nets for vulnerable groups.