Skip to content Skip to navigation
University of Warwick
  • Study
  • |
  • Research
  • |
  • Business
  • |
  • Alumni
  • |
  • News
  • |
  • About

University of Warwick
Publications service & WRAP

Highlight your research

  • WRAP
    • Home
    • Search WRAP
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse WRAP by Year
    • Browse WRAP by Subject
    • Browse WRAP by Department
    • Browse WRAP by Funder
    • Browse Theses by Department
  • Publications Service
    • Home
    • Search Publications Service
    • Browse by Warwick Author
    • Browse Publications service by Year
    • Browse Publications service by Subject
    • Browse Publications service by Department
    • Browse Publications service by Funder
  • Help & Advice
University of Warwick

The Library

  • Login
  • Admin

Bilateral trade agreements in the Asia Pacific: wise or foolish policies?

Tools
- Tools
+ Tools

Dieter, Heribert (2005) Bilateral trade agreements in the Asia Pacific: wise or foolish policies? Working Paper. Coventry: University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation. Working papers (University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation) (No.183).

[img]
Preview
PDF
WRAP_Dieter_wp18305.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer.

Download (107Kb)
Official URL: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/csgr/research/wo...

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

Bilateralism is mushrooming in the Asia - Pacific, yet the motives for it remain puzzling.

Why do countries devote substantial effort to bilateral free trade agreements that are providing limited additional benefits when compared both with unilateral liberalisation and with the multilateral regime? Furthermore, some of the deals recently implemented are less trade liberalising than the powerful rhetoric would suggest. For example , the free trade agreement between Australia and the United States is not including “substantially all the trade” and, on top of that, is asymmetric – Australia’s access to the American market is more restricted than vice versa.

The paper first addresses some conceptual issues and analyses the disadvantages of bilateral free trade agreements. Here, the need for rules of origin is of particular concern. These have two effects. First, they result in additional costs to producers. Whilst the dismantling of tariffs reduces the cost of trade, the need to administer rules of origin increases them. Second, transnational production is made more complicated. In order to qualify for duty free trade, the region for the sourcing of inputs shrinks, with negative consequences for competitiveness. Subsequently, the bilateral agreements of Australia, Singapore and Thailand will be examined. At closer inspection, these preferential deals are not convincing. All of them require complex rules of origin and do not make a significant contribution to the liberalisation of trade.

Item Type: Working or Discussion Paper (Working Paper)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Free trade, International trade, International economic relations, Protectionism, Certificates of origin
Series Name: Working papers (University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation)
Publisher: University of Warwick. Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation
Place of Publication: Coventry
Official Date: December 2005
Dates:
DateEvent
December 2005Published
Number: No.183
Number of Pages: 40
Status: Not Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version: Open Access

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics

twitter

Email us: wrap@warwick.ac.uk
Contact Details
About Us