Title: TRADE POLICY AT THE CROSSROADS
Subtitle: THE RECENT EXPERIENCE OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Description: MEHDI SHAFAEDDIN provides answers to a number of controversial questions such as: Why has economic reform and trade liberalization not been implemented in many developing countries to promote industrialization? Why is there a deadlock in trade negotiation? And what is wrong with the world trading system? The author argues that the theories and practices of trade and industrial policies are surrounded by fallacies and contradictions. Such as the 'universal and uniform trade liberalization' hypothesis does not consider different levels of development and specific characteristics of various countries; the infant industry argument and import substitution strategy are misinterpreted; their founders were not against ultimate export expansion; they regarded them as means to it; the market alone is incapable of accelerating development, economic activities are influenced by a dynamic 'coordination system' comprising of market. firms, government and institutions; the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organisation rules are flawed with contradictions in design and implementation.
Subjects: Trade policy, industrialization, economic reform, structural adjustment
Places: East Asia, China, Mexico, Ghana, Developing countries, Africa
Time periods: Recent decades