The Relationship Between Intellectual Property Rights and Foreign Direct Investment

Byggbranschen befinner sig mitt i ett paradigmskifte – detta i samband med att BIM kommer att ersätta de traditionella arbetsmetoderna inom byggprocessen. BIM, även kallat objektsbaserad informationshantering, används idag till 3D-projektering, visualisering och samordning. Dock utnyttjas inte BIM till sin fulla potential. Förändringar sker även beträffande miljöaspekter inom byggsektorn. Miljökrav är inte längre enbart lagstadgade, utan kommer även från fastighetsägarna själva. En anledning är den ökade miljömedvetenheten, och att byggbranschen är en viktig aktör för en hållbar utveckling. Genom en byggnadsmiljöcertifiering styrs byggproduktioner mot att bli mer miljöanpassade. Miljöbyggnad är en av de vanligaste certifieringarna i Sverige då den är anpassad efter svenska byggregler. Ett av bedömningskriterierna för Miljöbyggnad är att dokumentera byggprodukter som byggs in i byggnadsverket i en loggbok. Det är byggnadsentreprenören som uppför denna och bär ansvaret för Miljöbyggnadscertifieringen under produktionen. Detta examensarbete utreder hur loggbokshanteringen för miljöcertifieringen Miljöbyggnad kan effektiviseras och optimeras inom ramen för BIM. Det första skedet av examensarbetet ägnades åt identifikation av problem kring arbetet med loggboken genom enkätundersökningar och kompletterande muntliga samtal.  I det andra skedet intervjuades BIM-sakkunniga med syftet att söka praktiskt genomförbara tillämpningar av BIM inom loggbokshanteringsprocessen. Kartläggningen resulterade i ett flertal problematiska områden inom den nuvarande loggbokshanteringen. Denna kan dock effektiviseras genom att byggföretag etablerar en konsekvent arbetsmetodik, definierar loggboksprocessen samt inför erfarenhetsåterföring. Utförda intervjuer resulterade i förslag på möjliga effektiviseringar av loggboken med hjälp av BIM – både en lösning som är tillämpningsbar idag och tre framtida lösningar. Den lösning som fått namnet ”Excellista med GUID” kan tillämpas idag, och effektiviserar loggboksprocessen genom att utnyttja den BIM-modell som tas fram under projekteringsskedet med hjälp av unika kodsträngar. Automatiska mängdavtagningar för byggprodukter är ett exempel på en effektiviserad loggboksprocess. Tre lösningar är tänkbara för framtida materialdokumentation inom BIM: En applikation, integrerade systemplattformar eller företagsgemensam databas. Framtidslösningarna kan effektivisera avsevärt genom en automatiserad loggboksprocess. Loggboken inom BIM-modellen skapar möjlighet till spårbarhet och visualisering. Den eliminerar kostsamma och tidskrävande moment i jämförelse med dagens hantering. Slutsatsen är att byggföretaget ska satsa på en företagsgemensam databas för företagets alla systemplattformar, men framtiden för materialdokumentation inom BIM ligger i en väl integrerad lösning mellan BIM-modellen och ett PLM-system.The AEC industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift - this in conjunction with BIM replacing traditional working methods within the construction process. BIM, also called object-oriented information management, is currently used for 3D modeling, visualization and coordination. However BIM is not being utilized to its full potential. There are also occurring changes regarding the environmental aspects of construction. Environmental requirements are not only legal, but are now requested by the clients themselves. One reason for these changes is increased environmental awareness and another is the fact that the construction industry has a vital role in sustainable development. Environmental certification of building projects promotes an environmentally friendly production. ‟Miljöbyggnad” is one of the most common certifications in Sweden because it is adapted to the Swedish building regulations. One of the assessment criteria for ‟Miljöbyggnad” is the logbook documentation of all the building materials used. It is the contractor who is responsible for the logbook and for the environmental building certification during the production.                   This thesis investigates how logbook management for environmental certification can be efficient and optimized in the context of BIM. The first stage of the thesis was devoted to the identification of problems related to logbook management. This was done with the use of surveys and complementary interviews. In the second phase BIM experts were interviewed in order to find practical applications for BIM in the log management process. The survey revealed several areas of concern within current logbook management. However these problems can be resolved if construction companies can establish a consistent work methodology, define the logbook procedures and implement experience feedback. Analysis of the interviews resulted in suggestions for possible streamlining of logbook procedures using BIM –one solution which is possible to implement today and three for future use. The solution which has been named "Excel list with GUID" can be applied today. Here, the BIM model generated during the design stage, is used to streamline the logbook process with the help of unique reference numbers. Automatic quantity take off for construction products is an example of a streamlined logbook process. Three solutions are possible for future material documentation in BIM: An application, integrated computing platforms or a company shared database. In the future results can be considerably improved with an automated logbook process. The logbook within the BIM model creates the opportunity for traceability and visualization. It eliminates costly and time-consuming steps in comparison with todays logbook management. The conclusion is that construction companies should invest in a company-wide database for all computing platforms, but the future of material documentation with BIM exists in an integrated solution with the BIM model and a PLM system

Everything you always wanted to know about wto accession (but were afraid to ask)

In this paper, the authors explore the complex, long, and unique process of accession to the World Trade Organization, with its intertwined economic, legal, and political dimensions. Referring to country case studies and sector-specific issues, the paper organizes some of the current reflections on the topic around three main themes. First, it explores the rationale of accession to the World Trade Organization: Why would new members join the WTO? And why would incumbent members let new members in? Second, it analyzes the World Trade Organization accession process in detail: What are the main characteristics and challenges of the accession process? Has it evolved over time, and how? Third, the paper looks at the implementation of World Trade Organization accession deals: Is accession the end or the beginning of the story? What are the implications for the participating countries and the multilateral trading system?World Trade Organization,Economic Theory&Research,Trade and Services,Trade Law,Debt Markets

Protection and trade in services : a survey

Until recently, trade in services was mostly ignored by iinternational economists, reflecting a perception that services were nontradable. This has never been true. Transportation and travel, for example, have always been important economic activities. In 1995, services trade climbed to a 20-percent share of global trade -no doubt an underestimate, as the most dynamic component of trade in services is telecommunications, which is not being properly captured in conventional balance of payment statistics. The authors survey the literature on trade in services, focusing on thepolicies used to restrict such trade, the gains from liberalization, and the institutional mechanisms adopted in pursuit of liberalization. They argue that technological progress (which makes services more tradable) and iinternational trade negotiations are likely to keep liberalization of trade in services a high-profile policy issue. They suggest that research focus on developing better estimates of the welfare costs of protectionism in the service sector. This will require quantifying barriers to the international exchange of services.Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Economics&Finance,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Economic Theory&Research,Decentralization,Health Economics&Finance,ICT Policy and Strategies,Knowledge Economy,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research

How stronger protection of intellectual property rights affects international trade flows

Intellectual property rights affect international trade flows when protected goods move across national boundaries. And intellectual property rights have grown in importance as the share of knowledge-intensive or high-technology products in international trade has doubled (from 12 percent in 1980 to 24 percent in 1994). The authors report new evidence about how protecting intellectual property rights affects international trade flows of nonfuel trade products. Employing a gravity model of bilateral trade, they estimate the effects of increased protection on a cross-section of 89 x 88 countries. To address estimation problems associated with zero trade flows between countries, they adopt a bivariate distributed probit regression mode. Their results confirm previous findings: stronger protection of intellectual property rights increase bilateral trade flows of manufactured nonfuel imports. But the results do not hold for trade flows in high technology, where the effect of protection intellectual property rights was found to be insignificant.Rules of Origin,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Trade Policy,Payment Systems&Infrastructure,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT,Economic Theory&Research,Trade and Regional Integration,Rules of Origin,Environmental Economics&Policies

TPP : The New Gold Standard for Intellectual Property Protection in Trade Agreements?

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/</a

Foreign direct investment and “peak globalization”

This Perspective discusses if globalization has stalled and what the implications for FDI decisions and policies are. Efficiency-seeking investments are being affected by protectionist policies and the retrenchment of global value chains, which favor market-seeking investments. More attention should be given to the impact of technological developments and digital globalization

NAFTA's Implications for EastAsian exports

Several studies have quantified the influence of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the earlier Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement on member countries. Less attention has been paid to their effects on nonmembers. The authors try to quantify NAFTA's third-party effects on East Asia using a partial equilibrium trade model and a gravity flow model. They identify and focus on East Asian export sectors that are especially at risk of trade diversion. Their results suggest that the NAFTA-induced trade diversion losses could range from $380 million to$700 million. The larger figure represents less than 1 percent of East Asia's nonoil exports to the United States. Their analysis also indicates that losses would be concentrated in a few sectors - such as textiles, clothing, and ferrous metals - where high U.S. trade barriers exist. A larger share of Hong Kong and Macau trade would be diverted than trade in other East Asian economies because textiles and clothing represent a larger share of their exports. Economies specializing in such products as machinery and equipment (Singapore) would have relatively little trade diverted. East Asia's trade losses might be reduced by roughly half once the results of the Uruguay Round are implemented because that will lower the preference margins NAFTA members can extend to each other. To put things in perspective: the trade losses East Asian economies might incur because of NAFTA are roughly 1 percent of the gains they will receive from successful implementation of the Uruguay Round results.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Policy,Trade and Regional Integration,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT

Tropical timber trade policies : what impact will eco-labeling have?

About 20 percent of the total production of tropical timber is traded internationally. But for Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and some countries in West-Central Africa, tropical timber trade accounts for more than 50 percent of production. Although the tropical timber trade has often been blamed for deforestation, the authors find that it contributes much less to deforestation than do poor policies for the production of tropical timber. Lack of tenure rights, short and uncertain logging concessions, low stumpage values, and inadequate monitoring of logging activities are among the major policy failures that help deplete the tropical forests. Trade policies, often identified as an instrument for enforcing environmental objectives internationally, are inefficient instruments for correcting domestic distortions, and in the case of tropical timber trade, may affect the environment perversely. Export and import restrictions ultimately depress the value of an already underpriced resource - the forest. Restrictions on log exports, for example, encourage wasteful processing of logs. Unless sound forest management policies are enforced domestically, the net effect could even be an increase in the rate of deforestation. Import restrictions may have a marginal impact, since trade accounts for less than 20 percent of production and most of the tropical timber is imported in Asia, where such restrictions currently do not exist. Even if import restrictions had a significant impact, it would be in a reduction in value of tropical logs that would make alternative uses of the forest lands more profitable - so the rate of deforestation might not be reduced. Eco-labeling's main strength is its capacity to discriminate (through market signals) in favor of timber produced under sound environmental practices. By contrast, bans and boycotts have an indiscriminate, perverse impact. But if eco-labeling is imposed unilaterally by a subset of countries, its effectiveness will be doubtful. It will lead to trade diversion and potentially perverse environmental results, not to mention an increase in GATT trade disputes. Even if eco-labeling is adopted by all importing countries, there could still be trade diversion in tropical timber products because some consumers may not prefer certified timber, given its higher price. Eco-labeling programs should be designed so that producers see them not as a nontariff barrier but as an instrument for capturing the rents associated with prevailing environmental concerns in the developed world. Consumer education is important to the success of such programs, and eco-labeling programs should be designed accordingly.Environmental Economics&Policies,Forestry,Silviculture,Forests and Forestry,Economic Theory&Research