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NATIONAL TRADE LAWS AND INSTITUTIONS |
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CD27 Syllabus
Course
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This module considers the role of the
developing countries in the international trading system. It will
provide students with an overview of the role of trade in economic
development, the role of the developing countries in the trading system,
the policy choices exercised by selected developing countries in
designing their trade and economic policies, and the consequences of
those choices. The course will pay particular attention to the role of
the developing countries in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in
the Uruguay Round negotiations leading up to the establishment of the
WTO. Topics The course will cover the special
economic, political and institutional problems faced by developing
countries, inlcuding problems of governance, poverty, lack of resources
and infrastructure, dependence on a narrow range of tradable
commodities, and consider how these problems have influenced the
development of both a mindset and a set of special rules providing them
with ‘special and differential treatment,’
the impact of these rules, and the gradual impact of changes in
both attitudes and the rules over the last decade. Specific topics that
will be covered include the role of developing countries in the
negotiation of the GATT and the WTO, the application of GATT article
XVIII and the development of GATT’s Part IV, the rise and decline of
UNCTAD, the use and abuse of commodity agreements, the special problems
of trade in textiles and clothing, and trade in agriculture, the
development of the Generalized System of Preferences, and the issue of
‘graduation.’ Readings The readings for each week may amount
to more than what most students have either the time or inclination to
read. That is understood. The available material is of uneven quality
and no single source provides adequate coverage or explanation. As a
result, the readings are divided into required and suggested selection.
Together, they provide a range of selections on the material to be
covered each week, written from a variety of perspectives. Students are
encouraged to read as much as possible. A copy of the required reading
has been placed on one-hour reserve in the library. Grading Students will work together to simulate
a meeting of the WTO Trade Policy Review Body examining the trade
policies of three developing countries, one from East Asia, one from
Latin America, and one from Africa. Teams of students will prepare
themselves to present and defend the trade policies of these three
countries and to question the other country teams. All students will do
a cable reporting on the results of the meeting. Preparation for and
participation in the simulation will count for 50 percent, the reporting
cable for 30 percent, and class participation will count for the final
20 per cent of the course grade. Office
Hours Professor Hart will maintain office
hours at the Trade Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00-12:00 or
by appointment (647-6535). Week One Topics ·
Competing
perspectives on the problems of economic development and the role of
trade. ·
The
historical experience of developing countries in the international
economy and the governing institutions of the international economy:
GATT, WTO, UNCTAD, the UN, and regional institutions. ·
Planning
for simulation exercise, selection of country teams, secretariat, chair.
Topics ·
guest
lecture by Minister Kobayashi from the Japanese Embassy in Washington. ·
Developing
countries in the Uruguay Round - changing perspectives and results. ·
The
Latin American experience: Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica. Week Three
Topics ·
The
Asian experience: India, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia ·
The
African experience: Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa Week Four Topics
Required Readings 1.
Anne
O. Krueger, Trade Policies and
Developing Nations (Washington: Brookings Institution, 1995), all
--available in the bookstore. 2.
Michael
Trebilcock and Robert Howse, The
Regulation of International Trade (London: Routledge, 1995), pp.
301—330. 3.
Will
Martin and L. Alan Winters, “The Uruguay Round: a milestone for the
developing countries,” in Will Martin and L. Alan Winters, eds., The
Uruguay Round and the Developing Countries (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1996), pp. 1-29. 4.
Soogil
Young, “Political Economy of Trade Liberalization in East Asia,” in
Jeffrey J. Schott, ed., The World
Trading System: Challenges Ahead (Washington: Institute for
International Economics, 1996), pp. 141-149. 5.
Source
for Latam – to be provided 6.
Source
for Africa – to be provided 7.
Nicolas
Ardito-Barletta, “ Managing Development and Transition,” in Peter B.
Kenen, ed., Managing the World
Economy: Fifty Years After Bretton Woods (Washington: Institute for
International Economics, 1994), pp. 173-223. Supplemental Readings
Cases
and Empirical Material GATT
and WTO, Trade Policy Review for
------------------ various developing countrie.
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