Title: Economic Integration
1Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 1 Introduction
2Things you already know!! ?
- It makes little sense for a country or a region
to produce what it can buy from another country
or region at a lower cost - All countries can benefit if each country
specializes in production those goods it can
produce best and satisfy their other wants and
needs by trading for them
3More, things you already know!!
- Static Gains from trade are gains in world output
that result from specialization and trade - Dynamic gains from trade are gains from trade
over time that occur because trade induces
greater efficiency in the use of existing
resources
4Even more, things you already know!!
- A country engaging in international trade uses
its resources more efficiently - International trade increases not only the
quantity of the good we consume but, in many
instances, their quality - International trade can be a very effective way
to enhance competition in a countrys domestic
market
5Well then why not Free Trade
- Free trade is a policy by which a government does
not discriminate against imports or interfere
with exports by applying tariffs (to imports) or
subsidies (to exports) or quotas.
6THE WELFARE EFFECTS OF TRADE IN AN INDIVIDUAL
PRODUCT
- From a public policy perspective, the gains to
society as a whole are greater than the losses
that occur within a particular industry - Consumers tend to benefit from free trade but
firms and workers in importing industry can be
harmed - Special interest groups lobby for changes that
benefit them, though not necessarily society as a
whole - Problem? The gains to consumers are diffused
but the losses to producers and workers who care
are concentrated
7GLOBALIZATION
- Globalization is the term used to convey the idea
that international factors are becoming a more
important part of the world economy - The simplest measure of globalization is the
ratio of exports to GDP - Countries with a high ratio of exports to GDP are
generally more open to the world economy than
countries with a low ratio
8GLOBALIZATION
Real World Exports of Goods as a Percentage of
Real World GDP
9GLOBALIZATION
- Globalization or the increasing openness of an
economy, means changes that are not universally
positive - Globalization involves not only the goods and
service but the movement of people and money as
well
10Economic Integration
- Economic integration is concerned with
- The removal of trade barriers or impediments
between at least two participating nations - Thus boosting the free movement of trade,
investment, and services across national
boundaries
11Economic Integration (Continued)
- Integration creates high levels of globalization
and regionalization - Economic integration is best viewed as a spectrum
with the various integrative agreements in effect
today lying in the middle of this spectrum. - The level of integration defines the nature and
degree of economic links among countries
12Economic Integration
- economic political agreements that give
preference to members within the agreement - Global
- Regional (or Bilateral)
13Some Types of International Economic
Institutions with Examples (Just for info)
14More . Types of International Economic
Institutions with Examples
Our Focus
15Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 2 Global Trade Agreements
16WTO
- Three global organizations that play a major role
in international economic relations are - The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- The World Bank
- The World Trade Organization (WTO)
17Global (past) General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT)
- Idea began with 23 nations in 1946 when the
International Trade Organization (ITO) was
established - The General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT)
followed in 1947 by 23 countries to abolish
quotas and reduce tariffs.
18General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
- based on the following basic principles
-
- National treatment Imports must be given similar
treatment on the domestic market as domestically
produced goods - Nondiscrimination Enshrined in the concept of
most favored nation (MFN) every WTO member must
treat every other member as it treats its most
favored trading partner - However GATT could not enforce compliance
19The GATT/WTO functions through trade rounds
20Kennedy Tokyo
- During the Kennedy Round in the mid-1960s, and
the Tokyo Round in the 1970s, other issues
included - - Problems with dumping
- - Subsidies to industry
- - Nontariff barriers to trade
-
21The Uruguay Round
- The Uruguay Round famously focused on
contentious issues such as - non-tariff barriers
- intellectual property rights
- trade in services
- agriculture.
- However, the BIGGEST consequence
22From GATT to . Global (now) World Trade
Organization (WTO)
- The Uruguay Round established the WTO
- WTO members meet every two years to set WTO
policy objectives - Membership now totals 155 (2012) 156 on the
pending inclusion of Russia 25 more applying
23Who is the WTO?
- Location Geneva, Switzerland
- Established 1 January 1995
- Created by Uruguay Round (1986-94)
- Budget 196 million Swiss francs for 2011 (163
million Euros) - Secretariat staff 640..
- Head Pascal Lamy (Director-General)
- Chart Members
24What the WTO Stands for.
- Non-discrimination
- More open- ness
- Predictability and transparency
- More competitiveness
- Benefits for less developed countries (gt75 are
developing or LDCs) - Protection for the environment
25WTO Primary Functions
- Administering WTO trade agreements
- Forum for trade negotiations (goods)
- Handling trade disputes
- Monitoring national trade policies
- Technical assistance and training for developing
countries - Cooperation with other international
organizations
26World Trade Organization (WTO)
- Has a more effective dispute settlement
mechanism!! - Monitors national trade practices more
consistently - Governments bring charges of unfair trade
practices to the WTO (300 300) - http//www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e
/disp1_e.htm
27Countervailing Duty
- WTO rulings are binding as they ultimately
permit countervailing duties - Countervailing Dutya tariff designed to raise
the price of an imported product to its fair
market value. - After permission countries may use them to
offset production or export subsidies.
28World Trade Organization (WTO) right now
- The Doha Round/Doha Development Agenda (2001-)
- Focused on trade issues of importance to
developing countries - Key issues of Doha Development Agenda
- -Farm subsidies in high income countries of
Europe, US, and Japan - -Greater market access by developing countries
and strong farm sector high income countries - -Trade in services
- -Problems poor countries face in implementation
29The Doha Round
- Talks were started in Doha, Qatar in November
2001. - Focus of the talks was on the links between
economic growth and trade liberalization. - Talks collapsed in July 2008.
- The main point of contention is trade in
agriculture with major industrialized nations
such as the U.S., EU and Japan maintaining
production subsidies and import barriers. - Where are they now????
30WTO and the Environment
- WTO rules block a countrys use of trade measures
as environmental policy - Montreal Protocol multilateral agreement to ban
trade of products that deplete the ozone layer - Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions of
greenhouse gases to levels below 1990 levels
31WTO website
32Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 3 Regional Trade Agreements
33Regional Trade Agreements
- Besides these Global Agreements
-
- Regional Trade Agreements also form a key part of
the institutional structure of the world economy
34What are Regional Trade Agreements?
- Regional Trade Agreement preferential economic
arrangement among 2 or more countries. - Such blocs have liberal rules for member
countries while a separate set of rules is laid
for non-members.
35Types of Regional Trade Agreements
- Partial trade agreement
- Free trade areas
- Customs Union
- Common Market
- Economic Union
- Political Unions
36Free Trade Areas
- Simplest form of economic integration which
provides the internal free trade between member
nations. - Each member is allowed to determined its own
separate commercial policy with respect to
non-members. - Example Latin American Free Trade Association
(LAFTA), North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA)
37Customs Union
- More advanced form.
- Internal free trade among the member nations and
they also adopt a uniform commercial policy
against the non-members. (eg. common external
tariffs) - Example EEC European Economic Community
38Common Market
- There are no barriers to trade among members and
factors of production such as capital, labor and
technology are mobile among them. - It also has a uniform policy in respect to
non-members.
39Economic Union
- Similar to Common Market, but with coordination
of macroeconomic policies (including common
currency, harmonization of standards and
regulations) - Example EU members participating in the Euro
currency zone - .
40Political Union
- It is the ultimate type of economic integration
whereby member countries achieve not only
monetary and fiscal integration but also
political integration. - Example the Europe Union (EU) has moved towards
a political union similar to one created by 50
states of the United States of America.
41Regional Economic Integration (review)
- Partial Trade
- Free trade in select industries
- Free Trade Area (FTA)
- No internal tariffs at all
- Customs union
- common external tariffs
- Common market
- Factor (labor, capital, technology)
mobility - Economic union
- Common currency
- Political union
- Political integration
42For and Against RTAs
- The central economic question
- -Are RTAs supportive of gradual, long run
increases in world trade (building blocks), - or
- -Do they tend to become obstacles to further
relaxation of trade barriers (stumbling blocks)?
43For and Against RTAs (cont.)
- Proponents of RTAs view them as building blocks
toward freer, more open, world trade - Opponents view RTAs as undermining progress
toward multilateral (worldwide) agreements
44Advantages of Regional Trade Agreements
- Access to larger markets leads to internal
economies of scale. - External economies of scale due to improved
infrastructure (e.g. transport and telecoms
links) - Greater international bargaining power.
- Increased competition between members.
- More rapid spread of technology.
45Disadvantages of Regional Trade Agreements
- Country may lose resources to more efficient
members, or to geographical center, and become
depressed region. - Firms may co-operate, collude and merge, leading
to greater monopoly power. - Diseconomies of scale if firms become very large.
- High administrative costs of trading bloc.
46Regional Trade Agreements-Opportunities
- Elimination of trade barriers within the region
would encourage the efficient firms to expand
their business activities in all countries within
the region. - Healthy competition within the region would help
the less efficient firms in acquiring
competencies in order to challenge the efficient
firms. - The overall business performance in 'terms of
productivity, quality, price, - Delivery and customer service will improve.
- Consumers get better quality goods and services
at competitive price - Employment opportunities in the region increase.
47Regional Trade Agreements-Threats
- The removal of trade barriers provides
opportunities to the efficient firms to enter the
different markets within the region. This
endangers the survival of the less efficient
firms. - The resources of the less efficient countries are
exploited by the firms from the advanced
countries of the region. - The less developed countries of the region mostly
become consumption centers while the advanced
countries of the region become the production
centers. - The less developed countries become still poorer
whereas the advanced countries of the region
become still richer. - It discourages trade with non-members as trade
with non-members is subject to strict rules and
trade barriers.
48Regional Trade Agreements and the WTO
- Since 1948, over 400 agreements have been listed
with the WTO 75 of those since 1995 - 225 of these agreements are still active (2008)
- The WTO and GATT allow RTAs, assuming they create
more new trade than they divert (destroy) -
- - trade creation gt trade diversion
49Trade Creation vs. Trade Diversion
- Trade Creation an expansion in world trade
resulting from formation of an FTA - a welfare-increasing effect.
- Trade Diversion a shift in the pattern of trade
from low-cost world producers to higher-cost FTA
members - a welfare-reducing effect.
50Creation - DiversionExample
- Assume there are three countries (A, B, and C) in
the world - A is the worlds high-cost producer of beer
- B is the medium-cost producer
- C is the worlds low-cost producer
- What happens if Country A is a closed economy
and then opens its economy up to trade???
51Country A is NOT yet open, so there is no trade
P 18 , Q 7
Sa
Da
Pa 18
7
521st Country A Opens trade to Countries B
C C is low-cost producer So C exports amount
Qd12 minus Qs 2 10
Sa
Da
Pa 18
Pb12
Pc10
12
2
53Now Country A puts a 4 Tariff on BOTH
countries goods C is STILL the low-cost
producer C exports amount Qd9 minus Qs5
4
Sa
Da
Pa 18
PbT16
PcT14
5
9
54Now Country A enters a Trade Agreement with
B As A removes the tariffs from Bs good,
Bs price is back to its earlier level B is
now the low-cost producer B exports amount
Qd10 minus Qs 4 6 This agreement therefore
CREATES trade from previous export level of
4 This trade creation is noted by triangles,
e and f.
Pa 18
PcT14
e
f
Pb12
4
10
5
9
55However by entering an agreement with B and not
C who is really the low-cost producer..
Country A has diverted trade away from C This
TRADE DIVERSION is noted by rectangle G. If the
area (e f) is greater than the area of G, world
welfare will increase If the area of G is greater
than the area (e f), world welfare will
decrease
Pa 18
PcT14
e
f
Pb12
G
Pc10
4
10
5
9
56This is one extra one, JUST so that you can
see all numbers and lines together. We have
already completed the discussion
Sa
Da
Pa 18
PbT16
PcT14
f
e
Pb12
G
Pc10
2
5
4
9
7
12
10
57THE STATIC EFFECTS of a Regional Trade Agreement
- One more time .
- In this example, trade creation of the trade
agreement increases world welfare in triangles e
and f - But trade diversion occurs in box G
- If the area of (e f) is greater than the area
of G, world welfare will increase - If the area of G is greater than the area (e
f), world welfare will decrease
58Why Would A Form a FTA With B Instead of With
C?
- Dynamic effects
- Overall growth in market
- Expanded production
- Greater economies of scale
- Maybe location issues
- Political reasons
59How does WTO react to this
- GATT/WTO provides an exception to
most-favored-nation status for RTAs as, in
general, trade creation is larger than trade
diversion - RTAs may create losses for some producers in some
countries outside the agreement - The number of RTAs is increasing thus increasing
the amount of trade diversion
60European Union. EU
- The European Union (EU) is an economic and
(partially) political union of 27 member who are
located primarily in Europe
61Organization of EU
- European Council
- Heads of State President of European Commission
- Resolves major policy issues sets direction
2x year - European Commission Brussels, Belgium
- Proposing, implementing monitoring compliance -
EU laws - Commissioners appointed by each country 5 year
renewable terms - Competition Commissioner regulator of competition
and MA - Council of the European Union
- Ultimate controlling authority approves
proposed laws - 1 representative from each state varies with
topic - Use majority voting rules rather than unanimous
agreement - European Parliament Strasbourg, France
- Directly elected by population 732 members
- Debates legislation Consultative body
- Court of Justice
62Functions of EEC/EU
- Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
- Free movement from one nation to the other,
- Imports allowed only when DDgtSS,
- Rich farmers became richer,
- European Monetary Union (EMU).
- Common Transport Policy.
63Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)
- The members of the CEFTA agreement are Albania,
Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova,
Montenegro, Serbia and UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo. - Former parties are Bulgaria, the Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia
and Slovenia. Their CEFTA membership ended when
they joined the EU. Croatia is set to join the EU
in 2013.
64European Free Trade Association- EFTA
- Formed in 1959.
- Member nations Iceland, Liechtenstein Norway,
and Switzerland. - Former members UK, Denmark Ireland, Austria,
Sweden and Finland joined the EU in 1995 and thus
ceased to be EFTA members.
65Free Regional Trade Agreements in the Americas
66North American Free Trade Agreement-NAFTA
- North American integration has an interest in
purely economic issues and there are no
constituencies for political integration. - Came into being in 1994
- U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement
- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- Member Countries US, Canada and Mexico
67Other Aspects of NAFTA
- Objectives
- More business opportunities in Mexico.
- Enhance competitive advantage.
- Reduce prices
- Enhance industrial development.
- Assist Mexico in earning additional foreign
exchange. - Improve political relations.
- Measures
- Residents of NAFTA can invest easily in other
member nations. - Protection of Intellectual Property Rights.
- Similar Product Standards
- Free flow of FoP.
- Pollution Control.
68What are the drawbacks?
- Many US industries shifted to Mexico because
Mexico offered less stringent policies. - It was perhaps implemented without prior
preparations.
69Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- The development in Asia has been different from
that in Europe and the Americas - Asian interest in regional integration is
increasing for pragmatic reasons - Asia accounts for 20 of world trade.
- It has substantial trade liberalisation.
- It has created numerous sub-regional economic
trade zones, which are named transnational export
processing zones, natural economic territories,
or growth triangles
70Brief Background of ASEAN
- A group of 6 Nations Singapore, Brunei,
Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia - In 1992- established CEPT (Common Effective
Preferential Tariffs) Plan - Free trade area in 15 years.
- Tariff cut from 0.50 to 20 beginning with 15
products. - Strength skilled and educated human resource.
- Created Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1994.
71About AFTA
- Objectives
- To encourage inflow of foreign investments.
- To establish free trade area.
- To reduce tariff on the products produced in
ASEAN countries
72South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC)
- Member nations India, Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. - Established in 1983.
- Objectives
- To improve quality of life and welfare of the
people. - To develop region economically, socially and
culturally. - To enhance the self reliance,
- To provide conducive environment
- To enhance mutual assistance.
- To extend co-operation to other regional trade
agreements.
73Andean Community
- The Andean Community is a customs union
comprising the South American countries
of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The trade
bloc was called the Andean Pact until 1996
74Mercosur
- Mercosur is an economic and political agreement
among Argentina, Brazil, - Paraguay and Uruguay. Its purpose is to
promote free trade and the easy movement of
goods, people, and currency. It has evolved into
a full customs union.
75The Adean Community and Mercosur merging??
- In 2004 the Andean Community published a joint
letter of intention for future negotiations
towards integrating all of South America in
a Union of South American Nations (USAN),
patterned after the European Union.
There have been numerous stalemates, however.
76Prominent Regional Trade Blocs
77(continued) Prominent Regional Trade Blocs
78(continued) Prominent Regional Trade Blocs
79Criticism of International Institutions
- International institutions receive three types of
criticism - 1. Sovereignty and Transparency
- -International institutions can violate national
sovereignty by imposing unwanted domestic
economic policies - -Transparency concerns are based on questions
about the mechanism with which decisions are made
within an international institution
80Criticism of International Institutions (cont.)
- 2. Ideology
- -Critics argue that the advise and technical
assistance provided to developing countries are
often a reflection of the biases and wishes of
developed country wishes. - 3. Implementation and adjustment costs
- -When agreements are reached that combine
developed and developing countries, there are
often asymmetries in the ability to absorb the
costs associated with them that favor developed
nations.
81Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 4 Common Justifications for
Protectionism
82Commercial Policy and Jobs
- It is important to compare the costs and benefits
of trade barriers and examine the most common
reasons given for protecting specific industries
83Direct Costs and Jobs Saved in Agriculture,
Clothing, and Textiles
- Since the phase in of the Uruguay Round tariff
cuts, average tariffs have fallen 40but few
sectors are average - For example, agriculture, clothing and textiles
experience much smaller reductions in tariffs and
quotas (12, 14, 14 respectively) - In addition, all of these sectors in the EU,
Japan, and US have significant non-tariff
barriers applied to them including large
government subsidies in the case of agriculture
84EU, Japanese, and U.S. Protection in Three
Sectors (Mid-1990s, Millions of US)
85EU, Japanese, and U.S. Protection in Three
Sectors (Mid-1990s, Millions of US)
86Why Nations Protect Their Industries The Labor
Argument
- The Labor Argument Protection must be used
against imports from countries where wages are
much lower - -Problem Does not consider differences in
productivity between different workforces As
productivity rises, so will wages
87Jobs Saved through Tariffs and Quotas
88Jobs Saved through Tariffs and Quotas
89Saving Jobs?
- Trade policy is a grossly inefficient mechanism
to create jobs - It relies on too many intervening variables, and
does not go directly to the heart of the problem - If job creation is the goal, tariffs and quotas
are very expensive - -Better job-creation tools (1) sound
macroeconomic polices and (2) flexible labor
markets
90Why Nations Protect Their Industries The Infant
Industry Argument
- Infant Industry Argument Developing countries
have new industries that must be protected
against competition from industrial countries - -Problems
- may increase inefficiency and result in negative
linkage effects and - (2) technological externalities are difficult to
measurewhich industries should be protected?
91Why Nations Protect Their Industries The
National Security Argument
- National Security Argument Certain industries
must be protected in order to guard national
security (military security, cultural values) -
92Why Nations Protect Their Industries The
Retaliation Argument
- Retaliation Argument Another country's trade
barriers must be countered with trade barriers - -Problems Although retaliation can provide an
incentive for trade negotiations, it can also
lead to escalating trade wars
93Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 5 Trade Labor and
Environmental Standards
94Trade Laws and Standards
- (We already know) - Since the end of WWII, many
of the formal barriers to trade have been
removed... - However, unrestricted flow of trade (and
increased integration) are still hampered by
differences in - National laws and regulations
- National technical, health and safety,
environmental, labor standards, etc. - -These are very often good ... But often
adopted for domestic reasons without
consideration of the effects on trade
95Setting Standards Harmonization, Mutual
Recognition, or Separate?
- Most trade agreements and WTO commitments allow
for the combination of - Harmonization of standards Two or more countries
adopt a common set of standards - Mutual recognition of standards Countries
maintain their own standards, but accept the
standards of others as valid and sufficient - Separate standards Countries maintain their own
standards and refuse to recognize the standards
of others
96Setting Standards Harmonization, Mutual
Recognition, or Separate?
- No general rule determines which way of dealing
with the differences in standards is best for
international trade - Each of the three mechanisms has advantages and
disadvantages - -Harmonization of technical standards, for
example, leads to a larger market and greater
efficiency, but may also freeze inferior
standards into place
97Setting Standards Harmonization, Mutual
Recognition, or Separate? (cont.)
- However, differences in labor and environmental
standards, in particular, have generated concerns - High-income countries often fear that more
relaxed standards in other countries induce
domestic firms to - adopt lower standards to remain internationally
competitive... or - move to countries with lax standards
- Countries are feared to engage in a race to the
bottom - adoption of the lowest level of standards
possible, in order to attract foreign firms
98Income Levels, Society and the Environment
99Labor Standards
- The U.S., the EU and many other countries today
want labor and environmental standards be
included in any future trade agreements - Some parties want monetary fines against
violators - Some labor and environmental activists see fines
as inadequate ... demanding the use of trade
sanctions
100Defining Labor Standards
- The International Labor Organization (ILO)
proposed eight core labor standards in four basic
areas - Freedom of association and recognition of the
right to collective bargaining - Elimination of all forms of forced labor
- Effective abolition of child labor
- Elimination of discrimination in employment and
occupations
101Defining Labor Standards (cont.)
- The four areas of standards are widely agreed
upon, but details are also ambiguous for
example, what is meant by exploitation? - Many potential labor standards are contentious
- For example ...
- universal minimum wage level, limits on the
number of work hours, workplace health and
safety, etc. - - For example ... Low-income countries are
reluctant to pay much higher minimum wages
higher wages would reduce firm profits, and
result in closing down of production and a rise
in unemployment
102Labor Standards and Trade
- As we have said before ...
- Low- and high-income countries face very
different sets of economic constraints so
harmonization of labor standards is thus
difficult - Should one country, then, use trade sanctions to
enforce certain labor standards in another? - Labor activists often favor the use of trade
barriers to enforce standards - Trade economists think such barriers are
ineffective as an enforcement mechanism and only
spur protectionism and other economic
inefficiencies
103Economists express four concerns over the use of
trade measures to enforce standards
- Effectiveness
- only large countries or coalitions of countries
can use trade barriers successfully to enforce
standards - Hazy borderline between protectionism and
concern - special interests sometimes use the issue of
foreign labor standards in order to attain their
real goal, protection against foreign competition -
104Economists express four concerns over the use of
trade measures to enforce standards....
- The specific content of labor standards there is
no international agreement on the specific
content and language of labor standards -
- The potential to set off a trade war, thus an
infraction of WTO rules - -Sanctions may cause retaliation from the
targeted country, thus further hurting
international trade rules -
105Evidence on Low Standards as a Predatory
Practice (?)
- Low standards are generally not an effective
mechanism to enhance competitiveness and attract
foreign investment - There is very little evidence that countries that
lower labor standards succeed in obtaining a
comparative advantage in a new line of production - Low labor standards are not a successful means to
attract foreign investment low labor standards
are correlated with unskilled, less-literate
labor forces and lack of economic development
106Trade and the Environment
- There is considerable overlap in the debates on
labor and environmental standards ... Guess what?
... The same concerns... - Proponents of including environmental standards
in trade agreements believe sanctions should be
used to enforce such standards - Critics of sanctions have concerns about the
ineffectiveness of sanctions, the hazy borderline
between protectionism and environmental concerns,
the lack of international definitions of
environmental standards, and the potential for
trade wars
107Non-Transboundary and Transboundary Effects
- Three arguments by proponents of trade barriers
to enforce environmental standards are - 1) Without adequate enforcement of standards,
countries engage in an environmental race to the
bottom to boost industrial competitiveness - 2) Lack of enforcement of standards in developing
countries induce dirty rich country industries to
export pollution and thus create pollution
havens - 3) Poor enforcement leads to environmental
problems that spill over to another country
108Environmental Race to the Bottom
- Is there an environmental race to the bottom?
- Most countries have adopted tougher
environmental standards over time. In order for
race to the bottom to occur, sectional interests
would have to be politically powerful
109Trans-boundary Environmental Problems
- Do environmental spill-overs occur?
- Trans-boundary spill over effects are frequent
- However, a successful use of sanctions to counter
them is possible only by a large country or a
coalition of countries, and may lead to trade wars
110Alternatives to Trade Measures??
- As long as there are large income gaps between
countries, differences in labor and environmental
standards are unlikely to disappear - Seeking enforcement of standards through
sanctions, however, is often futile and harms
international trade - How, then, can we enjoy the benefits from world
trade while resolving the conflicts over
standards?
111Alternatives to Trade Measures??
- There are potentially three ways of enforcing
sanctions without hurting international trade - Labels for exports
- Requiring home country standards
- Increasing international negotiations
112Labels for Exports
- Labeling A certification process whereby a label
is attached on an exported good to indicate to
consumers that the good was produced under humane
and environmentally sound conditions - The method is already in place in some instances
Cambodian textile exports to the U.S., Starbucks
coffee imports, etc. - Problems (1) Many countries resist labeling as
an infringement of their sovereignty and (2)
consumers must be convinced the label provides
accurate information
113Requiring Home Country Standards
- Requiring home country standards High-standard
countries can require their firms to follow home
country standards when operating abroad - Pros impedes the race to the bottom avoids the
problem of high-income countries dictating
standards - Cons addresses only firms of high-standard
countries - -Low-country producers are not affected
- -A high-standard country firm may outsource
production to a low-standard country producer
114Increasing International Negotiations
- Increasing international negotiations Using
either existing international organizations or
creating new agreements and organizations - ILO could be given a greater role and start, for
example, publicizing lack of compliance with
labor standards - New agreements and organizations could be created
to address environmental issues - The WTO is not an environmental organization
however, it allows international environmental
agreements to develop their own enforcement
mechanism
115Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 6 International Trade and
Economic Growth
116Trade and Growth
- We already know this.
- Economic growth is shown graphically as an
outward shift of the countrys production
possibility frontier (PPF). - Since growth affects both production and
consumption, then it also affects international
trade.
117Economic Growth
- We already know this.
- An economy is said to grow when its total real
output or gross domestic product (GDP) rises. - Per capita GDP is a measure of a countrys
standard of living. For standard of living to
rise over time, GDP must grow faster than the
population.
118Economic Development
- Economic Development the achievement of a
quality of life for the average citizen of a
country that is comparable to the average citizen
of a country with a modern economy. - Characterized by
- High levels of consumption
- Broad-based educational achievement
- Adequate housing
- Access to high-quality health care, etc.
- Economic growth is essential for economic
development.
119Strategies for Economic Development
- Primary Export-led Development Strategy
- Import-Substitution Development Strategy
- Outward-looking Development Strategy
120Primary Export-Led Development Strategy
- Policies designed to exploit natural comparative
advantage by increasing production of a few
current export goods most closely related to the
countrys resource base. - Country examples include Columbia (coffee),
Mexico and Nigeria (petroleum), and Malaysia
(rubber).
121Advantages of Primary Export-led Development
Strategy
- This strategy would encourage more intensive use
of existing or abundant resources. - It could help attract foreign investment.
- It may provide linkage effects or benefits to
other industries as a result of one industry
expanding.
122Arguments Against Primary Export-led Strategy
- The world markets for primary products do not
grow fast enough to support this type of
development. - The prices of primary products relative to the
prices of manufactured goods may tend to fall
over time due to sluggish demand or oversupply.
123Import-Substitution Development Strategy
- Policies designed to promote rapid
industrialization and development by erecting
high barriers to foreign goods to encourage local
production. - What?????? Do we like this??????
124Arguments Against Import-substitution Strategy
- The high barriers to trade rarely come down.
- The strategy encourages citizens to spend scarce
resources to lobby or bribe government officials
to protect their industries.
125Outward-Looking Development Strategy
- These policies involve government identifying or
targeting industries in which the country has
potential comparative advantage. - Successful country examples include Japan, South
Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. - Refer to next slide for more examples
126Trade Reforms in Selected Developing Countries
127Technological Change
- Technological (technical) changeoccurs when the
same amount of output can be produced with fewer
factor inputs, or when the same amount of inputs
can produce greater amounts of output. - Our International Trade patterns enhance this
nowadays!
128Direct Foreign Investment and MNCs
- Direct Foreign Investmenthappens when a domestic
firm acquires ownership or control of the
operations of a foreign firm. - Multinational Corporations (MNCs)firms that own
and operate capital in one or more foreign
countries. - Not exactly trade but can aid in spread of
ideas and technology and enhance growth!
129Outsourcing
- Outsourcingthe movement or shifting of
production by a firm to a foreign location. - Vilified in some circles, but often not a bad
thing - Can lead to domestic growth!
130Economic Integration Institutions and
PracticesPart 7 IMF and World Bank
131The IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO
- The three global organizations that play a major
role in international economic relations are - The International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- The World Bank
- The World Trade Organization (WTO) (We already
met them!)
132The International Monetary Fund (IMF) (Quick
view)
- The 188 member (2012) IMF is the central monetary
institution in todays international economy...
However it can greatly affect trade. - Funding for the IMF comes from its membership
fee, or quota (the price of membership) - depends on the members size and status
- determines the members voting weight
133IMF Background
- Great Depression and WWII led to HIGH trade
barriers.. - This led to devaluation of national currencies
and decrease in world trade. - So IMF founded by 29 nations (1944/1945) at the
Bretton Woods meetings between the Allies, to
help regulate monetary policy
134IMF Functions
- Functions of the IMF
- -Prevents crisis in a financial system by
promoting sound macroeconomic policy, which
includes - -Balanced expansion of trade
- -Stable exchange rates
- -Avoidance of competitive devaluations
- -Orderly corrections of Balance of Payments
problems
135IMF Member Requirements
- Members must
- make periodic membership payments towards their
quota - refrain from currency restrictions unless granted
IMF permission - abide by the Code of Conduct in the IMF Articles
of Agreement - and provide national economic information.
- However BORROWERS have stricter requirements!
136IMF Borrowers
- A Financial crisis occurs when a country runs out
of foreign exchange reserves, which are a major
currency or gold that can be used to pay for
imports and international borrowings - In the event of a financial crisis,
- Members borrow against IMF quotas
- IMF conditionality Requirement for the borrowing
member to carry out economic reforms in exchange
for a loan
137The World Bank (A Quick view)
- Founded in 1944 as the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) - Has same membership and similar structure to IMF
- Members voting rights are proportional to number
of shares owned
138The World Bank
- Original purpose
- To provide financing mechanisms to rebuild Europe
after World War II - Current Goal
- - The reduction of poverty
139World Bank goal
- The method that the World Bank reduces poverty
is by providing loans to developing
countries for capital programs. - According to the World Bank's Articles of
Agreement its decisions must be guided by a
commitment to promote foreign investment, internat
ional trade and facilitate capital investment.
140World Bank vs. World Bank Grouphttp//www.worldba
nk.org/
- World Bank
- International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD) - International Development Association (IDA)
- World Bank GROUP
- The two above PLUS
- International Finance Corporation (IFC)
- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
- International Centre for Settlement of Investment
Disputes (ICSID) http//www.worldbank.org/