Agricultural Trade Policies in the Andean Group

Agricultural Trade Policies in the Andean Group
Author: Tim Josling
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 52
Release: 1997-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780821339244

"Chapter on Ecuador offers a comparison with other Andean Pact countries. Argues that Ecuador is most in need of stability and security offered by regional market access"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.

Agricultural Trade Policy

Agricultural Trade Policy
Author: Timothy Edward Josling
Publisher: Peterson Institute
Total Pages: 158
Release: 1998
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780881322569

The Uruguay Round trade negotiations marked a historic turning point in the reform of agricultural trade. The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) replaced nontariff barriers with bound tariffs, curbed export subsidies, and codified domestic agricultural programs. Unfortunately, the URAA bound many of the tariffs that replaced nontariff barriers too high, it legitimized export subsidies, and it left the domestic farm policies of the major industrial countries largely untouched. Fortunately, regional trade institutions have also begun to grapple with agricultural trade liberalization. Agriculture was featured in the Mercosur agreement, in recent agreements between the European Union and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and in the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA). Plans for broad supraregional trade structures, such as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), have also dealt with the inclusion of agricultural trade. Meanwhile, in developing and middle-income countries, unilateral agricultural policy reforms have been part of recent economic policy changes. However, in the industrial countries, agricultural policy reform has languished in the face of much domestic opposition. But the reform of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 1992 and the 1996 Farm Bill in the United States seems to have ushered in a new era of relations between government and agricultural groups. The author points out ways that multilateral, regional, and unilateral paths could be coordinated to liberalized agricultural trade. He proposes a set of multilateral talks that would benefit from agricultural reform at all levels and complete the job begun at the Uruguay Round.

New Topics in International Agricultural Trade and Development

New Topics in International Agricultural Trade and Development
Author: Dragan Miljkovic
Publisher: Nova Publishers
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2006
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781600210839

Agricultural trade and development is a backbone of international trade. It includes agricultural trade patterns, commercial policy, international institutions such as WTO, Tariff and non-tariff barriers in international trade, exchange rates, biotechnology and trade, agricultural labour mobility, land reform, environment and the areas and issues spanning these areas. This book brings together leading research and issues in this fundamental field.

Legal Impediments to Effective Rural Land Relations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Legal Impediments to Effective Rural Land Relations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Author: Roy L. Prosterman
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 344
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780821345016

"Excessive concentration of land ownership, as is feared by many transition governments, has not been a feature of land markets where they have been allowed to function relatively freely and where land has been allocated in kind to households and individuals."The World Bank has long been active in the Europe and Central Asia region in monitoring and evaluating land reform developments and supporting the development of land markets. Bank efforts to date have made a significant impact in our client countries, and studies produced by the Bank have been used as impartial references on this subject by both international organizations and the countries themselves. This report was developed as a result of these efforts. It focuses on: • The principal issues faced by the transition economies of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union • The potential approaches for resolving specific problem issues.

Groundwater in Urban Development

Groundwater in Urban Development
Author: Stephen S. D. Foster
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 76
Release: 1998
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780821340721

This paper highlights key urban groundwater issues and management needs. It also raises awareness and understanding of hydrogeological processes in urban areas and provides a framework for the proper and systematic consideration of groundwater dimensions in urban management. This paper suggests options for greater sustainable development and management of groundwater in urban areas.

The Impact of Drought on Sub-Saharan African Economies

The Impact of Drought on Sub-Saharan African Economies
Author: Charlotte Benson
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 110
Release: 1998-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780821341803

Little effort has been made to research the nonagricultural or economywide macroneconomic impact of droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to fill the gap, this paper reports the findings of an exploratory study of the subject. It provides insights into the impact of drought in Sub-Saharan Africa in the past and suggests policy options for dealing with future droughts.

Management of Water Resources

Management of Water Resources
Author: Musa Asad
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 110
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780821344378

"Although procedures for pricing "retail" distribution have been established for a long time, methods for pricing bulk or "wholesale" water supplies are still evolving." How to finance the infrastructure and service of bulk water supply, and how to use pricing to achieve efficient allocation and use of water as a resource are the central issues that emerge from discussions about bulk water pricing. Efficiency will lead to allocating water resources better, reducing water losses caused by poor maintenance of the supply systems, and increased monitoring of water quality. At first glance, Brazil may not appear to be a relevant country from which to draw lessons in distributing scarce water resources, since it contains 12 percent of the world's fresh water supply. However, with its vast territory and issues of regional drought and population explosion, Brazil provides a unique environment in which to demonstrate how adequate pricing of bulk water on a regional level can help allocate water efficiently. This paper offers a framework for bulk water pricing reform and examines the lessons from recent analytical work and practice in Brazil, as well as relevant international experience. It then offers recommendations for the development of both water pricing and allocation policies to facilitate continued implementation of bulk water pricing in Brazil.

Latin American Insolvency Systems

Latin American Insolvency Systems
Author: Malcolm Rowat
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 108
Release: 1999
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780821343999

"Modern society has eliminated the inhumane debtors' prisons for handling the insolvent debtor and in their stead have enacted benign modern laws in the area of bankruptcy. Unscrupulous merchants now use these benign laws for fraudulent purposes." Based on case studies in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela, this is the first publication to provide recommendations about the important legal and institutional issues that are involved in bankruptcy reform in a critical region of the global economy. The authors note that effective bankruptcy policy balances several requirements for the conduct of a stable, successful economy. For example, it might be in the greatest interests to all parties if a company is given an opportunity to restructure and make use of the scarce resources remaining in its possession. On the other hand, inefficient firms, especially those that have long survived only on state subsidies, may need to fail in order to free space in the market for more efficient, better-managed companies. Finally, there are the needs to enforce loan contracts and provide an equitable system of debt collection.