Behind-the-Border Policies Assessing and Addressing Non-Tariff Measures

One feature of globalization is that barriers to international competition have come to be associated with differences in regulatory policies that increase the costs of engaging in cross-border sales. Such non-tariff measures (NTMs) have attracted growing attention from policy makers and raise important questions for policy research. This book provides a valuable overview of key issues related to NTMs and domestic regulation. It covers the classification and definition of NTMs, new sources of data on NTMs, the impacts of (different types of) NTMs, the challenges that confront efforts to reduce the negative trade effects of NTMs and what can and should be done through international cooperation to promote good practices in the design and implementation of NTMs. The contributors comprise a mix of leading trade policy experts - both academics and practitioners - and younger researchers who have specialized in the analysis of NTMs.

1. Moving beyond the border: introduction and overview Joseph Francois and Bernard Hoekman; Part I. Concepts and Measurement: 2. NTMs: data concepts and sources Marie Luise Rau and Achim Vogt; 3. Regulatory bindings, policy uncertainty, and market access in services Peter Egger, Joseph Francois, Bernard Hoekman and Miriam Manchin; Part II. Assessing and Benchmarking Policy: 4. NTMs in the presence of global value chains and their impact on productivity Mahdi Ghodsi and Robert Stehrer; 5. Non-tariff measure estimations in different impact assessments Eddy Bekkers and Hugo Rojas-Romagosa; 6. Gauging procurement policy change during the crisis-era: evidence from the global trade alert Simon J. Evenett and Anirudh Shingal; 7. Preferences, income distribution, and the burden of NTMs Igor Bagayev and Ronald B. Davies; Part III. Dealing With NTMs: Legal and Institutional Contexts: 8. NTM reforms: a practitioner's perspective Fabio Artuso; 9. Good regulatory practices and international trade Robert Basedow; 10. Rules of origin as non-tariff measures: towards greater regulatory convergence Bernard Hoekman and Stefano Inama; 11. Behind-the-border measures and the new generation of trade agreements: TBT and SPS compared Manfred Elsig and Sebastian Klotz; 12. Non-tariff responses to China's development strategy: the WTO's interface challenge Chad Bown; 13. A time for action: the WTO must change to promote regulatory cooperation Thomas J. Bollyky and Petros C. Mavroidis.

Joseph Francois is Professor of Economics and Managing Director of the World Trade Institute, Universität Bern, Switzerland. He is a Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) research fellow, and co-founder of the European Trade Study Group (ETSG). He has published widely on trade, the role of services in growth and development, and sustainability aspects of globalization.
Bernard Hoekman is Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and Dean, External Relations, at the European University Institute, Florence. A Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) research fellow, he has published widely on trade and development, trade in services, and the multilateral trading system.