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International coperation
- 2. Learning Objectives To identify the major characteristics and challenges of the World Trade Organization To describe the static and dynamic impact of trade agreements on trade and investment flows To describe other forms of global cooperation such as the United Nations and OPEC
- 3. Case: Walmart goes south The North American Free Trade created in 1994 affected Wal -Mart`s success in Mexico in three specific ways. Wal-Mart had a marketing campaign where it offered “Every Day Low Prices”, but this was not quite true in Mexico because it had significant import charges on many of the products brought from the U.S.
- 4. After the implementation of NAFTA, Mexico became a free trade zone. This made it possible for Wal- Mart to reduce its tariff from 10% to 3 %. This led the government to solve the logistical problem due to the fact that Mexico`s transportation system was below average.
- 5. NAFTA encourages Mexico to improve the transportation system, which lowers the logistical cost. Additionally, NAFTA allows foreign investment in Mexico. As a result, Wal-Mart was able to build manufacturing plants in Mexico because of the cheap labor.
- 6. In this particular case we can observe how low labor cost contributes to obtain low import tariffs therefore leads to cheaper products. Wal-Mart`s success in Mexico was definitely possible because of the NAFTA implementation.
- 7. Introduction Economic integration the political and monetary agreements among nations and world regions in which preference is given to member countries Bilateral integration Regional integration Global integration
- 8. The World Trade Organization World Trade Organization (WTO) The major body for reciprocal trade negotiations enforcement of trade agreements General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
- 9. GATT: Predecessor to the WTO GATT formed in 1947 to abolish quotas and reduce tariffs Most favored nation (MFN) clause trade without discrimination Succeeded by WTO in 1995
- 10. What Does The WTO Do? WTO continues the MFN clause of GATT provides a mechanism for dispute settlement Doha Round agricultural subsidies Criticized for failing to pay enough attention to labor and environmental concerns undermining global diversity benefitting rich at the expense of the poor
- 11. The Rise Of Bilateral Agreements Bilateral agreements can be between two individual countries or can involve one country dealing with a group of other countries Also known as Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) Free trade agreements (FTAs)
- 12. Regional Economic Integration Regional trade agreements integration confined to a region and involving more than two countries Examples include European Union (EU) European Free Trade Area (EFTA) North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
- 13. Regional Economic Integration Major types of economic integration Free trade area no internal tariffs Customs union no internal tariffs plus common external tariffs Common market customs union plus factor mobility
- 14. The Effects Of Integration Effects of regional integration Static effects trade creation trade diversion Dynamic effects Economies of scale
- 15. The Effects Of Integration Impact of Trade Agreements
- 16. Data of RTAs https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/regi on_e/regfac_e.htm
- 17. The European Union European Union (EU) changed from the European Economic Community to the European Community to the European Union the largest and most successful regional trade group in the world provides free trade of goods, capital, and people uses common external tariffs has a common currency
- 18. The European Union European Commission provides political leadership, drafts laws, and runs the various daily programs of the EU Council of the EU composed of the heads of state of each member country European Parliament has legislative power, control over the budget, and is supervisor of executive decisions European Court of Justice interprets and applies EU treaties
- 19. The European Union Companies doing business in the EU need to determine where to produce products determine what their entry strategy will be balance the commonness of the EU with national differences
- 20. EU Trade data http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/200 6/september/tradoc_122530.pdf
- 21. NAFTA The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) includes Canada, the U.S., and Mexico involves free trade in goods, services, and investments includes countries of different sizes and wealth Some U.S. trade and investment has been diverted to Mexico Free trade area rules of origin
- 22. NAFTA Regional content at least 50% of the net cost of most products must come from the NAFTA region Additional provisions Workers rights The environment Dispute resolution mechanism
- 23. NAFTA Trade data http://globaledge.msu.edu/trade- blocs/nafta/statistics
- 24. Regional Economic Integration In The Americas There are six major regional economic groups in the Americas Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Central American Common Market (CACM) Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA –DR) Andean Community (CAN) Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) Latin American Integration Association (LAIA)
- 25. Regional Economic Integration In The Americas Economic Integration in Central America and the Caribbean
- 26. Regional Economic Integration In The Americas Latin American Economic Integration
- 27. Regional Economic Integration In Asia Regional integration in Asia includes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ASEAN Free Trade Area the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) open regionalism
- 28. Regional Economic Integration In Asia The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
- 29. Regional Economic Integration In Africa Several efforts at economic integration exist Pan Arab Free Trade Area (PAFTA) Arab League Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) African Union (AU)
- 30. Regional Economic Integration In Africa Regional Integration in Africa
- 31. Other Forms Of International Cooperation The United Nations (UN) established in 1945 promotes peace and security UNCTAD helps developing countries participate in international trade Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) private, nonprofit institutions that are independent of the government
- 32. Commodities And The World Economy Commodities raw materials or primary products that enter into trade Many commodity agreements exist to discuss issues disseminate information improve product safety OPEC
- 33. Organization Of The Petroleum Exporting Countries OPEC producer cartel that relies on quotas to influence prices establishes production quotas for member countries Saudi Arabia produces about 42% of the world’s crude and18% of its natural gas Downside of high prices incentive to invest in non-OPEC countries balancing social, political, and economic objectives
- 34. The Future: Regional Integration And The WTO Regional integration could help the WTO Regionalism can lead to liberalization of issues not covered by the WTO Regionalism is more flexible Regional deals lock in liberalization
Editor's Notes
- Chapter 8: Cross National Cooperation and Agreements
- The Learning Objectives for this chapter are To identify the major characteristics and challenges of the World Trade Organization To discuss the pros and cons of global, bilateral, and regional integration To describe the static and dynamic impact of trade agreements on trade and investment flows To define different forms of regional economic integration To compare and contrast different regional trading groups To describe other forms of global cooperation such as the United Nations and OPEC
- Trade groups influence the strategies of multinational companies so it’s important to understand economic integration and its scope. The are three types of economic integration. At the bilateral level two countries decide to cooperate more closely. At the regional level, a group of countries located in the same geographic area cooperate. At the global level, countries from all over the world cooperate through the World Trade Organization.
- The World Trade Organization, or WTO, encompasses and extends the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, also known as GATT.
- The GATT was formed by 23 countries in 1947 as mechanism for negotiating the reduction and elimination of trade barriers and for agreeing on the conduct of international trade. The central tenet of GATT was the MFN clause that required members to open their markets equally to all other members.
- The WTO, which has 153 members, follows the MFN principle of GATT and strives to provide a better means of mediating trade disputes and of enforcing agreements. The WTO does make some exceptions to the MFN principle. For example, developing countries’ manufactured products have been given preferential treatment over those from industrial countries, concessions granted to members within a regional trading alliance, such as the EU, have not been extended to countries outside the alliance, and countries are permitted to raise barriers against member countries which they feel are trading unfairly. The most recent set of negotiations for the WTO began in 2001 in Doha, Qatar. The Doha Round, which focuses on giving a boost to developing nations, has been challenging and has stalled numerous times. One of the major sources of tension involves agricultural subsidies. The WTO has been the subject of much criticism in the past.
- Countries are increasingly willing to sidestep the multilateral system and engage in bilateral agreements in order to achieve their objectives.
- Regional trade agreements or RTAs, also known preferential trade agreements, give member countries special treatment. They began to emerge after World War II when nations saw the benefits of cooperation and larger market sizes.
- The major types if economic integration are the free trade area, the customs union, and the common market.
- Regional economic integration has social, cultural, political, and economic effects. The static effects of integration are the shifting of resources from inefficient to efficient companies as trade barriers fall. Static effects can develop when there is trade creation or trade diversion. Trade creation occurs when production shifts to more efficient producers for reasons of comparative advantage, while trade diversion occurs when trade shifts to countries in the group at the expense of trade with countries not in the group. Static effects improve the efficiency of resource allocation and affect both production and consumption. Dynamic effects of integration are the overall growth in the market and the impact on a company caused by expanding production and by the company’s ability to achieve greater economies of scale. Economies of scale occur when the average cost per unit falls as the number of units produced rises. Keep in mind that regional economic integration allows for specialization and trade based on comparative advantage. .
- This Figure shows the impact of free trade agreements.
- It’s much easier to form regional trading groups than larger ones. One of the most comprehensive and successful regional groups is the European Union which began as a free trade agreement and has since expanded to become a common market that has abolished restrictions on factor mobility and harmonized national, political, economic, and social policies. The EU has 27 members some of which have joined forces on the bloc’s common currency, the euro.
- Companies need to understand the political environment in the European Union. It has many governing bodies including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, the European Court of Justice, and the European Central Bank.
- Multinationals need to understand how the EU can influence their corporate strategy. For example, should they produce in a central location and incur the cost and time to move products from country to country? Should they acquire a local company as a way to get into the market? What do the different growth rates across member countries mean?
- The North American Free Trade Area, or NAFTA, went into effect in 1994, and is the largest bilateral trade agreement in the world. It’s designed to eliminate tariff barriers and liberalize investment opportunities and trade in services. Today, the U.S. is Mexico’s and Canada’s largest trading partner. Under the rules of origin provision of NAFTA, goods and services must originate in North America to get access to lower tariffs.
- NAFTA lays out various regional content rules that must be met in order to qualify for preferential treatment. In particular, for a product to be considered North American in terms of country of origin, at least 50 percent of the value of most products must be from North America. NAFTA also addresses several other areas, notably workers rights and the environment. The agreement, for example, includes certain labor standards such as the right to unionize as well as upgraded environmental standards in Mexico. Since NAFTA was signed, trade and investment have increased significantly. In fact, many companies look at it as one big regional market, and have been able to take advantage of trade agreements each country has with other nations as well. Moreover, demand in Mexico continues to rise, thanks in part to the creation of new jobs in the country, and more competitive companies. Keep in mind though, that challenges remain. One key issue today is illegal immigration.
- There are six major regional groups in the Americas. The success of each group varies. CARICOM is modeling its agreement after the EU. MERCOSUR is at the customs union level. The Andean Community, while one of the oldest regional economic groups, has yet to successfully achieve its goals. Similarly, the Latin American Integration Association is still struggling to achieve its objectives.
- This Map shows the countries belonging to CACM, CARICOM, and CAFTA-DR.
- This Map shows the members of CAN, MERCOSUR, and LAIA.
- ASEAN is the fourth largest free trade area in the world. While the ASEAN free trade area has been very successful, other efforts in the region have not. APEC for example, has had less success in achieving its goals. The group is not only large and geographically distant, it also lacks a treaty. However, because it generates such a large percentage of the world’s output and merchandise trade, it’s potential is large. A key goal for the bloc is to establish open regionalism whereby member countries decide whether to apply trade liberalization to non-APEC countries on an unconditional MFN basis or on a reciprocal FTA basis.
- This Map shows the members of ASEAN.
- The large number of nations combined with the region’s three monetary unions and five regional trade associations make things complex when it comes to economic integration in Africa. Several African trade groups have been established, however, they rely more on their former colonial powers and other developed markets for trade than they do on each other.
- This Map shows efforts at economic integration in Africa.
- Other forms of cooperation can also influence the strategies of multinationals. The United Nations focuses on economic development, antiterrorism, and humanitarian movements. One organization in the UN is the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD. NGOs like the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders focus on humanitarian issues, while others like Africa Now and Save the Children focus on workers’ rights.
- Developing countries frequently rely on commodity exports for the hard currency they need for economic development. If commodity prices aren’t stable, then earnings aren’t stable either. To try to ensure greater stability in commodity prices, various agreements have been established. Most haven’t been very successful, but one, OPEC, has been.
- OPEC has been successful in terms of attempting to stabilize supply and price, but member countries often cheat in order to produce more revenues, and outside events like the civil war in Libya can interfere with the group’s objectives.
- Will regional integration be the wave of the future, or will the WTO become the focus of global economic integration? The answer is that regional integration might actually help the WTO achieve its goals.