RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

Discussion forum: World Trade Report 2010 Trade in Natural Resources

The World Trade Report is an annual publication that aims to deepen understanding about trends in trade, trade policy issues and the multilateral trading system. The 2010 edition, “Trade in Natural Resources”, was published in July 2010.

> Recently submitted articles

Disclaimer

This Forum seeks to promote an informed debate on trade in natural resources — the topic of the World Trade Report 2010. Documents posted on the Forum are the sole responsibility of their authors. They have no legal effect on the rights and obligations of WTO members, nor do they imply any judgement on the part of the WTO Secretariat regarding the consistency of any policy with the provisions of the WTO agreements. 
  

See also:
>
World Trade Report 2010
> Previous World Trade Reports
> Useful links

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It is clear that natural resources present special challenges for policy makers since sound management and appropriate international rules are required to balance the competing needs of current and future generations in both exporting and importing countries. In this context, WTO rules play an important role in the system of global governance.

In the run-up to publication of this year's Report, we invited WTO delegates, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic experts, WTO staff members and all those with an active interest in natural resources to submit short articles (of no more than 1,000 words) on the topic of the 2010 Report. Many of these are published below along with comments delivered at the launch of the Report.

 

Recently submitted articles  back to top

Comments on the World Trade Report 2010

02/08/2010

Comments from the launch of the Report in Geneva
by Jaime de Melo, University of Geneva

30/07/2010

Comments from the launch of the Report in Shanghai
by Dr Lin Guijun, Professor of Economics, Vice President at University of International Business and Economics

30/07/2010

Comments from the launch of the Report in Shanghai
by Dr Bin Xu, Professor of Economics and Finance, Dean of Department of Economics and Decision Sciences at CEIBS

29/07/2010

Comments from the launch of the Report in Geneva
by Joost Pauwelyn, Graduate Institute, Geneva

22/07/2010

Six months of debate on trade in natural resources
by Michele Ruta & Joelle Latina, Economic Research and Statistic Division, WTO

 

Development

20/07/2010 Pass-through of crude oil prices to domestic prices in Japan
by Etsuro Shioji, Professor, Department of Economics, Hitotsubashi University
> Article: Pass-through of crude oil prices to domestic prices in Japan

13/07/2010

Commodity terms of trade: The history of booms and busts
by Nikola Spatafora (Senior Economist) and Irina Tytell (Economist), Research Department, The International Monetary Fund

29/06/2010

A Public Financial Management Framework for Resources-Producing Countries
by Teresa Dabán (The Western Hemisphere Department) and Jean Luc Hélis (The Fiscal Affairs Department), the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
> Article: A Public Financial Management Framework for Resources-Producing Countries

15/06/2010

“The Natural Resource Curse: A Survey”
by Jeffrey Frankel, Harpel Professor of Capital Formation and Growth, Harvard University
> Article: “The Natural Resource Curse: A Survey”

04/06/2010

Managing Openness and Volatility: The Role of Export Diversification
by Mona Haddad (Sector manager, International Trade Department), Jamus Jerome Lim (Economist, Development Prospects Group) and Christian Saborowski (Economist, Middle East and North Africa Region), The World Bank
> Article: Managing Openness and Volatility: The Role of Export Diversification

01/06/2010

Boom-Bust Cycle, Asymmetrical Fiscal Response and the Dutch Disease
By Rabah Arezki (International Monetary Fund, IMF Institute) and Kareem Ismail (International Monetary Fund and Johns Hopkins University)
> Article: Boom-Bust Cycle, Asymmetrical Fiscal Response and the Dutch Disease

25/05/2010

Effects of Oil Discoveries in Brazilian Municipalities
by Francesco Caselli (Professor of Economics) and Guy Michaels (Lecturer in Economics), London School of Economics
> Working Paper: Do Oil Windfalls Improve Living Standards? Evidence from Brazil

30/04/2010

Is FDI in natural resources a “curse”?
by Theodore H. Moran, Marcus Wallenberg Professor of International Business and Finance Georgetown University; Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute of International Economics
> Article: Enhancing the contribution of foreign direct investment to development

27/04/2010

Commodity Development Strategies In the Integrated Framework
by Raymond Saner Director of the Geneva-based Centre for Socio-Economic Development and Diplomacy Dialogue (CSEND), Lichia Yiu Trade Policy Governance Programme (TPGP) at CSEND with Alka Bhatia, for UNDP
> UNDP article: Commodity Development Strategies In the Integrated Framework

23/04/2010

Resource Wealth, Innovation and Growth in the Global Economy
by Pietro F. Peretto, Duke University and Simone Valente, ETH Zurich
> Article: Resource Wealth, Innovation and Growth in the Global Economy

20/04/2010

Natural Resource Subsidies
by Matthew S. Yeo, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP

16/04/2010

Trade in natural resources: are there any gaps in the rules?
by Dr Melaku Desta, Reader in International Economic Law and Director of PhD programme The University of Dundee) in collaboration with Vitaliy Pogoretskyy (PhD Student, The University of Dundee)
> More details on this discussion

13/04/2010

Natural Resources and Development Strategy after the Crisis
by Milan Brahmbhatt: World Bank, Economic Advisor, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) Network,
and Otaviano Canuto: World Bank, Vice President and Head of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) Network
> World Bank article: Natural Resources and Development Strategy after the Crisis

12/02/2010

Trade in Mineral Resources
by Graham A. Davis, Professor of Mineral Economics at the Division of Economics and Business, Colorado School of Mines
> Working Paper: Trade in Mineral Resources

04/02/2010

The Economics of Trade in Natural Resources
by Paul Collier, University of Oxford, and Anthony J. Venables, University of Oxford and CEPR
> Working Paper: International Rules for Trade in Natural Resources

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Energy

20/07/2010

Pass-through of crude oil prices to domestic prices in Japan
by Etsuro Shioji, Professor, Department of Economics, Hitotsubashi University
> Article: Pass-through of crude oil prices to domestic prices in Japan

02/07/2010

Electricity energy and the WTO customs valuation agreement
by Leonardo Macedo Customs Officer, Scholar of the Customs and Excise School in Brazil (ESAF) and WCO Customs Diagnostics Facilitator

18/06/2010

Smart Electrification: The win-win solution for sustainable world trade
by Aharon Amit, General Secretary & CEO, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

11/06/2010

Trade in Energy: Challenges for International Trade Regulation
by Yulia Selivanova, Energy Charter Secretariat

08/06/2010

Energy Transit under the Energy Charter Treaty and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
by Danae Azaria, PhD candidate, Teaching Fellow, University College London (UCL), Faculty of Laws

11/05/2010

Trade in energy and forestry, a perspective from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
by Virginia Cram Martos, Director, Trade and Timber Division, UNECE and Frederic Romig, Director Sustainable Energy Division, UNECE

07/05/2010

Energy in WTO law and policy
by Thomas Cottier (Managing Director), Garba Malumfashi, Sofya Matteotti-Berkutova, Olga Nartova, Joëlle de Sépibus and Sadeq Z.Bigdeli, World Trade Institute
> Article: Energy in WTO law and policy

04/05/2010

Security considerations and trade in energy resources
by Sergei F. Sutyrin, Professor, World Economy Department Head, St.Petersburg State University, the WTO Chair holder and Nikita A. Lomagin, Professor, World Economy Department Deputy Head, St.Petersburg State University

26/03/2010

The WTO in the emerging energy governance debate
by Gabrielle Marceau, Counsellor, Legal Affairs Division, WTO
> Article: The WTO in the emerging energy governance debate

19/03/2010

Relationship between International Trade and Energy
by Timothy J. Richards, GE Corporate
& World Energy Council Task Force Chair
Lawrence Herman, Cassels, Brock & Blackwell, LLP
& World Energy Council Task Force Director

12/03/2010

Oil Price Volatility: Origins and Effects
by Lutz Kilian, Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan and CEPR
> Working Paper: Oil Price Volatility: Origins and Effects

04/02/2010

The Economics of Trade in Natural Resources
by Paul Collier, University of Oxford, and Anthony J. Venables, University of Oxford and CEPR
> Working Paper: International Rules for Trade in Natural Resources

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Environment

21/07/2010

Trade and the environment
by Gal Hochman (Energy and Bioscience Institute) and David Zilberman (Professor, Department for Agriculture and Resource Economics; Energy and Bioscience Institute), UC Berkeley.

06/07/2010

Water consumption and footwear
by John Hubbard, SATRA Technology Centre

22/06/2010

Subsidizing Fisheries
by Rashid Sumaila (Associate Professor and Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre) in collaboration with Leslie Delagran (Economist, Oceana)

11/05/2010

Trade in energy and forestry, a perspective from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
by Virginia Cram Martos, Director, Trade and Timber Division, UNECE and Frederic Romig, Director Sustainable Energy Division, UNECE

20/04/2010

Natural Resource Subsidies
by Matthew S. Yeo, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP

05/03/2010

The relation between international trade and freshwater scarcity
by Arjen Hoekstra, Professor in Multidisciplinary Water Management at the University of Twente and Scientific Director of the Water Footprint Network
> Working Paper: The relation between international trade and freshwater scarcity

26/02/2010

Trade and Deforestation: What have we found?
by Juan Robalino, Research Fellow at the Environment for Development Initiative, CATIE, and Deputy Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program, CATIE and
Luis Diego Herrera, Research Fellow at the Environment for Development Initiative, CATIE
> Working Paper: Trade and Deforestation: A Literature Review

19/02/2010

Trade and Fisheries: Key Issues for the World Trade Organization
by Frank Asche, University of Stavanger and Martin D. Smith, Duke University
> Working Paper: Trade and Fisheries: Key Issues for the World Trade Organization

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WTO law

08/07/2010

The conservation of natural resources in WTO law: the case of tropical forest resources
by Telesphore Tekebeng Lele, University of Yaoundé II Soa
International Relations Institute of Cameroon (International Disputes)

02/07/2010

Electricity energy and the WTO customs valuation agreement
by Leonardo Macedo Customs Officer, Scholar of the Customs and Excise School in Brazil (ESAF) and WCO Customs Diagnostics Facilitator

08/06/2010

Energy Transit under the Energy Charter Treaty and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
by Danae Azaria, PhD candidate, Teaching Fellow, University College London (UCL), Faculty of Laws

07/05/2010

Energy in WTO law and policy
by Thomas Cottier (Managing Director), Garba Malumfashi, Sofya Matteotti-Berkutova, Olga Nartova, Joëlle de Sépibus and Sadeq Z.Bigdeli, World Trade Institute
> Article: Energy in WTO law and policy

20/04/2010

Natural Resource Subsidies
by Matthew S. Yeo, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP

16/04/2010

Trade in natural resources: are there any gaps in the rules?
by Dr Melaku Desta, Reader in International Economic Law and Director of PhD programme The University of Dundee) in collaboration with Vitaliy Pogoretskyy (PhD Student, The University of Dundee)
> More details on this discussion

09/04/2010

To what extent are WTO rules relevant to trade in natural resources?
by Dr Melaku Desta, Reader in International Economic Law and Director of PhD programme
> More details on this discussion

26/03/2010

The WTO in the emerging energy governance debate
by Gabrielle Marceau, Counsellor, Legal Affairs Division, WTO
> Article: The WTO in the emerging energy governance debate

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Trade policy

16/07/2010

Mineral Trade Policy
by Samindra Narayan Mitra, Executive-in-Charge, Chrome and Titania Projects, Tata Steel Ltd.,
& Ph.D. Candidate in Mineral Economics, CEPMLP, University of Dundee

25/06/2010

Competitive distortions in the access to raw materials for the European chemical industry
by René van Sloten, Executive Director Industrial Policy, European Chemical Industry Council

21/05/2010

Export Restrictions and the WTO Law: “Regulatory Deficiency” or “Unintended Policy Space”
by Dr. Baris Karapinar, Senior Research Fellow, World Trade Institute, University of Bern

18/05/2010

Trade in natural resources and the business community: what is at stake?
by Adrian van den Hoven, Director International Relations, BUSINESSEUROPE & Anka Schild, Adviser International Relations, BUSINESSEUROPE

13/04/2010

Natural Resources and Development Strategy after the Crisis
by Milan Brahmbhatt: World Bank, Economic Advisor, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) Network,
and Otaviano Canuto: World Bank, Vice President and Head of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) Network
> World Bank article: Natural Resources and Development Strategy after the Crisis

06/04/2010

Export restrictions on strategic raw materials and their impact on trade and global supply
by Frank van Tongeren, Head of division, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate,
Jane Korinek, Policy analyst, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate and
Jeonghoi Kim, Policy analyst, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate
> OECD working paper: Export restrictions on strategic raw materials and their impact on trade and global supply

30/03/2010

Natural resources and export restrictions
by Frank van Tongeren, Head of division, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate,
Jane Korinek, Policy analyst, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate and
Jeonghoi Kim, Policy analyst, OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate
> Summary report of the raw materials workshop

04/02/2010

The Economics of Trade in Natural Resources
by Paul Collier, University of Oxford, and Anthony J. Venables, University of Oxford and CEPR
> Working Paper: International Rules for Trade in Natural Resources

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> Guide to downloading files
  

The structure is as follows

The main theme of the 2010 World Trade Report is “Trade in Natural Resources”. This will be structured as follows:

• Natural Resources: Definitions, Specificities and Trade Patterns
• Economic Theory, Trade and Natural Resources
• Trade Policy and Natural Resources
• Natural Resources and the Multilateral Trading System

What will the World Trade Report 2010 be about?
by Michele Ruta, Economic Research Division, WTO
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