Behind-the-Border Policies
Assessing and Addressing Non-Tariff Measures

Provides a contemporary overview of key issues related to non-tariff trade policy measures and domestic regulation.

Joseph Francois (Edited by), Bernard Hoekman (Edited by)

9781108485531, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 November 2019

382 pages, 32 b/w illus. 45 tables
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.4 cm, 0.65 kg

'This timely and comprehensive volume deals with a topic that is at the forefront of current trade policy discussions. Behind-the-border policies touch upon such sensitive areas as public health and environmental protection. They play a role in the pursuit of national policy objectives like innovation, provision of infrastructure or development. But many of them also affect trade flows. As such regulations, subsidies and other policies that appear to have a perfectly domestic character, suddenly become the subject of trade tensions. This volume examines behind-the-border policies from different angles and through different methodological lenses. As such it plays a welcome role in shedding light on a truly complex issue that is critical for the sustainability of the multilateral trading system.' Marion Jansen, Director, Division of Market Development, International Trade Centre

One feature of globalization is that barriers to international competition have come to be associated with differences in regulatory policies that increase the costs of engaging in cross-border sales. Such non-tariff measures (NTMs) have attracted growing attention from policy makers and raise important questions for policy research. This book provides a valuable overview of key issues related to NTMs and domestic regulation. It covers the classification and definition of NTMs, new sources of data on NTMs, the impacts of (different types of) NTMs, the challenges that confront efforts to reduce the negative trade effects of NTMs and what can and should be done through international cooperation to promote good practices in the design and implementation of NTMs. The contributors comprise a mix of leading trade policy experts - both academics and practitioners - and younger researchers who have specialized in the analysis of NTMs.

1. Moving beyond the border: introduction and overview Joseph Francois and Bernard Hoekman
Part I. Concepts and Measurement: 2. NTMs: data concepts and sources Marie Luise Rau and Achim Vogt
3. Regulatory bindings, policy uncertainty, and market access in services Peter Egger, Joseph Francois, Bernard Hoekman and Miriam Manchin
Part II. Assessing and Benchmarking Policy: 4. NTMs in the presence of global value chains and their impact on productivity Mahdi Ghodsi and Robert Stehrer
5. Non-tariff measure estimations in different impact assessments Eddy Bekkers and Hugo Rojas-Romagosa
6. Gauging procurement policy change during the crisis-era: evidence from the global trade alert Simon J. Evenett and Anirudh Shingal
7. Preferences, income distribution, and the burden of NTMs Igor Bagayev and Ronald B. Davies
Part III. Dealing With NTMs: Legal and Institutional Contexts: 8. NTM reforms: a practitioner's perspective Fabio Artuso
9. Good regulatory practices and international trade Robert Basedow
10. Rules of origin as non-tariff measures: towards greater regulatory convergence Bernard Hoekman and Stefano Inama
11. Behind-the-border measures and the new generation of trade agreements: TBT and SPS compared Manfred Elsig and Sebastian Klotz
12. Non-tariff responses to China's development strategy: the WTO's interface challenge Chad Bown
13. A time for action: the WTO must change to promote regulatory cooperation Thomas J. Bollyky and Petros C. Mavroidis.

Subject Areas: International economic & trade law [LBBM], Law [L], International business [KJK], International economics [KCL]