Trade, globalization and sustainability impact assessment : A critical look at methods and outcomes

Trade liberalization, as promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO), has become one of the dominant drivers and most controversial aspects of globalization. Trade sustainability impact assessments (SIAs) were introduced as a means of generating better understanding, especially of the social and environmental impacts of trade liberalization, and of making those impacts more consistent with sustainable development. This book takes a hard look at the experience of Trade SIAs to date, and the extent to which they have achieved their objectives and improved the outcomes of trade negotiations. It proposes several ways in which Trade SlAs could be made more effective, and illustrates these in respect of controversial sectors in which trade liberalization has been implemented or proposed, including commodities, services and investment. Finally the book makes proposals beyond SIA through which some of the conflicts between trade liberalization and sustainable development could be more effectively addressed. Written by top researchers and experts on trade SIAs, this book is vital for researchers, academics, postgraduate students and policy makers working on any aspect of impact assessment, international trade or globalization more generally. In addition, the book will provide a particularly useful background for those considering how the environment and trade interrelate at both global and regional levels, with some particular insights on climate change and trade policies. Contents: Overview and general introduction. Part I - The context: trade, SIAs and development: 1: Trade-induced changes in economic inequality : assessment issues and policy implications for developing countries. 2: Why did 'development' entrap the Doha round? 3: Have sustainability impact assessment of trade agreements delivered on 'development' issues: a reflexive analysis of the emergence and main contributions of trade SIAs. Part II - The new challenges of trade liberalisation: beyond SIA: 4: Trade SIAs and the new challenges of trade liberalisation. 5: Investment: the context matters. 6: Sustainability impacts of liberalising trade in services: assessment methodologies and policy responses. 7: The impacts of liberalising trade in commodities. 8: The potential role for collective preferences in determining the rules of the international trading system. Part III - Breaking the impasse: the national policy framework: 9: Improving public participation in sustainability impact assessments of trade agreements. 10: Identifying trade victims. 11: Trade-induced changes in labour market inequalities: current findings and policy implications. 12: The value of value chains: spreading the gains from liberalization. Part IV - International cooperation: 13: Collective preferences and international compensation. 14: Reducing the impacts of the production and trade in commodities. 15: The trade and environment relationships reconsidered: the case of regional trade and climate change. Conclusio