AGRICULTURAL POLICY REFORM IN THE URUGUAY ROUND: PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP ON ECONOMIC ISSUES AND RESEARCH NEEDS

The Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations conducted under the auspices of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade has drawn unprecedented attention to global agricultural trade and policy issues. The negotiations are well into their second year and major participants have already presented proposals for agricultural policy reform. There is an ongoing role for economic analysis and a need for it to be presented effectively to policymakers to facilitate the negotiating process and elevate the policy debate. This workshop explored research and analytical needs in the areas of measuring government intervention in agriculture and the use of a measurement index in the trade negotiations, the regional and world effects of removing government support in the long term and during the adjustment period, defining and analyzing decoupled farm income payments and other transition measures, and exploring the commonalities and differences in developed and developing country interests in policy reform