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

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.

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

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