ISBN:
9211212995
Series Statement:
Serie Comercio Internacional 12
Content:
AbstractOne of the most sensitive issues confronting countries in a tradenegotiation is how to treat economic sectors unable to face import competition. Thediscussions on this topic have given rise to a vast literature seeking to identifyfirst-best policy practices to assist the process of adjustment of specific economicsectors to import competition. At the present time, addressing this issue is aparticularly delicate question in the current negotiations to create the Free Trade Areaof the Americas (FTAA);, given the disparities in size, levels of development, andmacroeconomic stability of the countries involved in this process. Developed countries,and a growing number of developing ones, have increasingly relied on antidumping laws toprovide import relief to particular economic sectors. As practiced today, however,antidumping also entails heavy costs, for the foreign firms targeted by this policy,certainly, but also for consumers in the country applying antidumping legislation.The objective of this paper is to place the debate on antidumping in awide-ranging context, so as to suggest possible approaches for the treatment ofantidumping in the negotiations to create an FTAA. It begins by providing evidence on theimportance of antidumping within the Western Hemisphere. This is followed by an analyticaldiscussion of antidumping and by a review of the treatment of antidumping in differentregional integration arrangements. The last section of the paper draws the implications ofthe analysis for the FTAA negotiations and suggests a possible avenue for the design of acost-efficient import relief mechanism in the FTAA. Specifically, the paper argues thatthe proper focus of discussions on antidumping should be a broad framework that takes intoaccount the costs and benefits of all import relief measures, including safeguards.
Note:
Includes bibliography
Language:
English
URL:
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