Week 5: Regional Trade Agreements and the trading system video. Flashcards

1
Q

What is the legal basis for Regional Trade Agreements within the WTO framework?

A

RTAs are legal under Article 24 of GATT/WTO

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2
Q

What is the ‘spaghetti bowl problem’ associated with RTAs?

A

the ‘spaghetti bowl problem’ refers to the overlapping and complex rules of origin due to numerous RTAs

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3
Q

How do RTAs benefit trade liberalization compared to WTO agreements, according to Gary Hufbauer

A

RTAs reduce trade barriers faster than WTO agreements, addressing areas like services and investment, and often lowering tariff barriers to zero

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4
Q

What are Bhagwati’s concerns about developing countries signing RTAs with bigger entities?

A

Bhagwati is concerned that developing countries might sign unfavourable terms with larger entities like US and EU

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5
Q

What are the potential misleading aspects of preferential agreements?

A

Preferential agreements can be misleading as they might offer only temporary benefits that do not account for long-term impacts.

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6
Q

Why does Gary Hufbauer believe both RTAs and the multilateral system are permanent features of global trade?

A

Hufbauer believes both systems are permanent because they are integral to current global trade dynamics

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7
Q

What challenge does the session highlight regarding the alignment of RTAs and global trade?

A

The challenge is to align RTAs with the global trade framework such that smaller nations are supported and not disadvantaged

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8
Q

How many Regional Trade Agreements are currently in existence, and what systemic issue does this cause?

A

Around 400 RTAs are in existence, causing complication in global trade and challenging the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle

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9
Q

What does MFN mean in global trade?

A

The Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle is based on the idea that countries should treat all their trade partners equally- that no one country should be “more favoured”

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