Discussion on Poverty and The WTO: Impacts of the Doha Development Agenda
01 Feb '06
10 min read
Synopsis
Poverty reduction is deemed to be a centrepiece of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) currently being negotiated under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Yet there is considerable debate about the poverty impacts of such an agreement. Some are convinced it will increase poverty, while others are equally convinced that it will lead to poverty reduction. This book brings together the best scientific methods to bear on this question, taking into account the specific characteristics embodied in the DDA. Since the trade/poverty field is relatively new, a variety of different methods are utilized to be most appropriate for the varied countries featured. It consistently considers a range of complementary policies that might enhance the poverty outcome of the DDA, permitting poor households to take better advantage of new opportunities that might arise from such multilateral trade reforms. In addition, a fifteen country study, coupled with the global analysis, allows the authors to draw more general conclusions about the poverty impacts of a prospective DDA.
About the Authors
THOMAS W. HERTEL is Professor and Executive Director of Purdue University, USA, currently on leave with The World Bank. He specialises in the economy-wide analysis of trade policies and is the founding Director of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP). He has published numerous journal articles with several of these having won awards. He was Fulbright Senior Research Fellow with the Impact Project in Melbourne, Australia and a Visiting Fellow at the National Chengchi University, Taiwan. He is currently on the editorial boards of 'the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, the Journal of Economic Integration, and the Pacific Economic Review'. He has served as a consultant to the World Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the Ford Foundation, and the Australian Industry Commission.
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