The Optimal Design of Trade Policy Flexibility in the WTO

This paper is a contribution to the literature on rational design of trade agreements. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an incomplete contract among sovereign states. Incomplete contracts contain gaps. Ex post, contractual gaps may leave gains from trade unrealized; they may create 'regret' in signatories once unanticipated contingencies or sudden protectionist backlashes have occurred. Trade policy flexibility mechanisms, such as the 'safeguards clause' under Art. XIX GATT, are geared towards seizing ex post regret by allowing parties affected by a protectionist shock to partially and temporarily withdraw from previously made trade liberalization concessions - given that they compensate the victim(s) of such backtracking behavior. This paper examines the somewhat understudied issue of optimal trade policy flexibility design in the WTO: In particular, we analyze whether ex post escape should be organized by means of a unilateral opt-out clause (a 'liability rule' of escape), or a bilateral renegotiation provision (a 'property rule' of escape). Modeling the WTO as a fully non-contingent tariff liberalization contract with contingencies (or 'states of nature') asymmetrically revealed, we find that a liability rule backed by expectation remedies payable to the affected victim Pareto-dominates both a renegotiation clause, as well as any other remedy arrangement connected to a liability rule. Only the remedial design of liability-cum-expectation damages yields the desirable incentives to liberalize ex ante, and to default ex post and therewith is able to replicate the outcomes of the hypothetical contracting ideal of the complete contingent contract

Effect of opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy on three-dimensional knee kinematics

While it is clear that opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (HTO) changes alignment in the coronal plane, which is its objective, it is not clear how this procedure affects knee kinematics through the range of joint motion and in other planes. Our research question was: how does opening-wedge HTO change three-dimensional tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics in loaded flexion in patients with varus deformity? Three-dimensional kinematics were assessed over 0-60° of loaded flexion using a MR method before and after opening-wedge HTO in a cohort of 14 knees of 13 male subjects. At 6 and 12 months post-op, opening-wedge HTO caused increased tibial anterior translation (mean 2.6 mm, p < 0.001), decreased patellar proximal translation (mean -2.2 mm, p < 0.001), decreased patellar spin (mean -1.4°, p < 0.05), increased patellar tilt (mean 2.2°, p < 0.05), and changed three other parameters. Mean WOMAC score decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from 49.6 (SD 16.4) preoperatively to 28.2 (SD 16.6) at 6 months and 22.5 (SD 14.4) at 12 months. The three-dimensional kinematic changes found may be important in explaining inconsistency in clinical outcomes, and suggest that measures in addition to coronal plane alignment should be considered.Applied Science, Faculty ofMedicine, Faculty ofNon UBCMechanical Engineering, Department ofOrthopaedic Surgery, Department ofReviewedFacultyOthe

Cartilage health in high tibial osteotomy using dGEMRIC : relationships with joint kinematics

Applied Science, Faculty ofMedicine, Faculty ofNon UBCMechanical Engineering, Department ofOrthopaedic Surgery, Department ofReviewedFacultyOthe