GLOBALIZATION AND NORTHEAST AGRICULTURE: IMPLICATIONS OF THE UPCOMING ROUND OF WORLD TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

The signing of the Uruguay Round agreement on agriculture (URAA) in 1994 was a significant step towards the liberalization of world agricultural trade. A new round of negotiations on agriculture is scheduled to begin under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the end of 1999. This paper discusses the likely agenda of those negotiations and their implications for agriculture in the northeastern United States.International Relations/Trade,

Animal Welfare

Livestock Production/Industries,

Overview of Adjustment Policies in Industrialized Countries

Arguments for adjustment policies center on efficiency, equity and political economy considerations. The principal types of policies, targeted to individuals, firms or communities, are reviewed. A number of general issues relating to adjustment policies are identified.Political Economy,

Imposing WTO disciplines on domestic support: an assessment of the Doha Round Approach

The elements of the approach to disciplining domestic support for agriculture in the Doha round of WTO negotiations are evaluated using data for a selection of OECD countries. Despite a substantial increase in complexity in comparison to the Uruguay Round Agreement, the new approach is unlikely to require real reductions in trade-distorting support. As a result it is unlikely to stimulate further reforms in domestic agricultural policies in OECD countries. RESUMEN: En este artículo se evalúan los instrumentos del enfoque utilizado en la Ronda de Doha de la Organización Mundial de Comercio para establecer disciplinas en relación con la ayuda interna a la agricultura. El análisis se lleva a cabo para un conjunto de países de la OCDE. A pesar de la mayor complejidad de la Ronda de Doha, en comparación con el Acuerdo de la Ronda Uruguay, es improbable que el nuevo enfoque reduzca las ayudas que distorsionan el comercio. En consecuencia, también resulta poco probable que la Ronda de Doha estimule reformas adicionales en las políticas agrarias internas de los países de la OCDE. PALABRAS CLAVE: comercio internacional, agricultura, ayuda interna, OMCinternational trade, agriculture, domestic support, WTO, International Relations/Trade, F02, F13, F14,

The Domestic Policy Environment for Farm-Firms in the European Union

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Adjustment Policies in the United States

Principal adjustment programs are reviewed unemployment insurance (UI) and related long-term programs for displaced workers, and trade adjustment assistance (TAA). None of these programs has had wide application in agriculture, although the current trade act contains a new program specifically for farmers.Political Economy,

Regionalism versus Multilateralism in the World Trading System

International Relations/Trade,

REGIONAL IMPACT OF TRADE LIBERALIZATION ON THE INCOME OF U.S. GRAIN/LIVESTOCK FARMERS

Estimates of the change in 1970 net farm income resulting from free trade in grains and livestock are derived for ten production regions of the United States. Grains and losses are distributed by six economic classes of farm. Two inequality indices are used to assess the impact on the distribution of income. Although free trade leads to greater inter-regional inequality, intra-regional inequality declines. The net effect is a decline in total inequality. The qualitative relevance of these results under current conditions is supported by their robustness to change in assumed income gains.International Relations/Trade,

Are Disciplines Required on Domestic Support?

The impact of domestic support on trade is likely to become an increasingly important issue in the WTO negotiations on agriculture. Domestic support expenditures are increasing and existing disciplines on forms and levels of support are weak. While a shift from market price support to output subsidies should be less trade distorting, such support may not be minimally distorting as required under the so-called “green-box” criteria. Proposals submitted by WTO members could further expand permissible support measures and weaken disciplines on their use. In some cases, most notably support provided in pursuit of environmental objectives, there may be a contradiction between the aims of support measures and the requirement that these should be minimally trade distorting. Clearer policy criteria and stronger disciplines are needed in order to avoid future trade disputes on agricultural support.agriculture, domestic support, green box, WTO, International Relations/Trade,

THE UPCOMING ROUND OF AGRICULTURAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS: POSSIBLE US OBJECTIVES AND CONSTRAINTS

International Relations/Trade,