Assessing the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a Model for Foreign Assistance Reform

This study assesses the effectiveness of different administrative models of US foreign assistance, with a unique focus on one that hypothetically channels more DFA-administered funds through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The study finds several limitations with this model, and so discounts the assumption that because the MCC is a fairly effective instrument of foreign assistance simply expanding it as is would spread its benefits on a larger scale. With some additions to its framework, however, the model may be quite effective and both politically and economically feasible.Millennium Challenge Account; Millennium Challenge Corporation; MCA; MCC; international economics; USAID; DFA; foreign aid; foreign assistance; international development; Prud'homme; Dan Prud'homme; Dan Prudhomme

An SIA analysis of the Investment Chapter in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

This study is a section from the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA), commissioned by the European Commission, on the impacts of the Investment Chapter in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Investment Chapter in CETA could encourage economic benefits including trade-stimulating effects and fostering intangible business linkages in Canada, although the significance of these will likely be minor to notable at most; impacts in the EU will likely follow these trends but on an even lower level of significance. Positive environmental impacts would result from increased investment in green technologies, yet negative impacts would likely result from increased FDI in the oil sands and mining sectors in Canada. Various social impacts are expected, but all relatively minimal in scale. The majority of the study is devoted to investigating the costs vs. the benefits of including controversial NAFTA-style investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in CETA. It find that there is no solid evidence to suggest that ISDS will maximise economic benefits in CETA beyond simply serving as one form of an enforcement mechanism, just as state-state dispute settlement is also an enforcement mechanism. And the policy space reductions caused by ISDS allowances in CETA, while less significant than foreseen by some parties, would be enough to cast doubt on its contribution to net sustainability benefits. As such, the study’s assessment suggests that a well-crafted state-state dispute settlement mechanism might be a more appropriate enforcement mechanism in CETA than ISDS

Dulling the Cutting Edge: How Patent-Related Policies and Practices Hamper Innovation in China

This study’s statistical analysis shows that patent quality and innovation in China deserve improvement, and an in-depth legal, management science, and economic analysis in the study shows that various patent-related policies and practices actually hamper patent quality and innovation in China. Over 50 recommendations for reform are provided. The study is divided into four chapters, summaries of which are as follows: Chapter 1: Although China became the world leader in quantity of domestically filed patent applications in 2011, the quality of these patents needs improvement. Also, while certain innovation in China is rising, the country’s actual innovation appears overhyped by some sources. Chapter 2: There appears to be an overly heavy focus on government-set quantitative patent targets in China, which can hamper patent quality and innovation. This overemphasis involves over 10 national-level and over 150 municipal/provincial quantitative patent targets, mostly to be met by 2015, which are also linked to performance evaluations for SoEs, Party officials and government ministries, universities and research institutes, and other entities. Chapter 3: China has a wide-range of other policies, many of which are at least partially meant to encourage patents, that can actually discourage quality patents, and highest-quality patents in particular, and innovation. Examples of these policies include a variety of measures with requirements for “indigenous intellectual property rights” that are linked to financial incentives (many of which are unrelated to government procurement); a range of other government-provided financial incentives for patent development (e.g. certain patent filing subsidies); inappropriate inventor remuneration rules; discriminatory standardisation approaches; and a wide range of others. Chapter 4: There are a host of concerns surrounding rules and procedures for patent application review and those for enforcement of patent disputes that can hamper building of quality patents and innovation in China. These include concerns about abuse of patent rights, difficulties invalidating utility models, and a wide range of other issues

The Impacts of the Proposed EU-Libya Trade Agreement

The paper provides an overview of the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of an EU-Libya FTA as gauged by the EU-Libya Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA). The main potential benefits to both the EU and Libya from the proposed trade agreement come from closer cooperation in the energy sector rather than from the economy-wide effects of reducing trade barriers. The agreement may also have significant adverse effects that need to be taken into account.EU; EU-Libya FTA; Libya FTA; EU FTA; Libya; Libya trade agreement; EU-Libya trade agreement; Libya trade; SIA; Sustainability Impact Assessment; impact assessment; trade impact assessment; EU SIA; Trade; SIA; Prud'homme; Dan Prud'homme; Dan Prudhomme; Prudhomme; Prud'homme

"China's increasing policy shift towards more sustainable growth"

Many have increasingly questioned if and how Chinese policy has evolved or will evolve to ensure that the country’s development is not only focused on immediate economic growth, but also economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. This paper addresses this question by tracing key issues in China’s past and current path to development. It finds that China is clearly increasingly shifting its policies to foster more sustainable growth, which provides a good indication that its upcoming policies will head in the same positive direction

Measuring, Explaining and Addressing Patent Quality Issues in China

Although China became the world's leading patent filer in 2011, patent quality is still a serious issue in the country. This article first provides a statistical snapshot of this situation and then discusses how China's network of patent-related policies and practices in certain cases actually contributes to this problem and hampers innovation. The article also looks at the negative consequences of poor patent quality, paying special attention to the impacts on foreign companies in China

How certain indigenous innovation and other patent policies hamper innovation in China

China has a wide-range of patent-specific and other patent-related policies in-place, many of which are at least partially meant to stimulate patents and “indigenous innovation.” However, the analysis in this paper discusses how some of these policies in effect can actually discourage quality patents, and highest-quality patents in particular, and related innovation

An SIA analysis of the Investment Chapter in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

This study is a section from the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA), commissioned by the European Commission, on the impacts of the Investment Chapter in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Investment Chapter in CETA could encourage economic benefits including trade-stimulating effects and fostering intangible business linkages in Canada, although the significance of these will likely be minor to notable at most; impacts in the EU will likely follow these trends but on an even lower level of significance. Positive environmental impacts would result from increased investment in green technologies, yet negative impacts would likely result from increased FDI in the oil sands and mining sectors in Canada. Various social impacts are expected, but all relatively minimal in scale. The majority of the study is devoted to investigating the costs vs. the benefits of including controversial NAFTA-style investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in CETA. It finds that there is no solid evidence to suggest that ISDS will maximise economic benefits in CETA beyond simply serving as one form of an enforcement mechanism, just as state-state dispute settlement is also an enforcement mechanism. And the policy space reductions caused by ISDS allowances in CETA, while less significant than foreseen by some parties, would be enough to cast doubt on its contribution to net sustainability benefits. As such, the study’s assessment suggests that a well-crafted state-state dispute settlement mechanism might be a more appropriate enforcement mechanism in CETA than ISDS

China's Indigenous IP Policies -- Here to Stay?

In 2010 and 2011, foreign businesses and governments welcomed measures believed to dramatically reform a highly controversial branch of China’s indigenous innovation policy which provided government procurement preferences to applicants who can meet restrictive indigenous intellectual property (IP) rights requirements. However, this article describes specific examples of (what can be labeled) China’s “indigenous IP policy” that are still very much in force, in particular several programs linking restrictive IP requirements to monetary incentives outside of government procurement preferences. The article lists seven reasons why this policy system is not likely to be overhauled anytime soon, and concludes with several recommendations for international rights holders to respond to the system

An SIA analysis of the Investment Chapter in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)

This study is a section from the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA), commissioned by the European Commission, on the impacts of the Investment Chapter in the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Investment Chapter in CETA could encourage economic benefits including trade-stimulating effects and fostering intangible business linkages in Canada, although the significance of these will likely be minor to notable at most; impacts in the EU will likely follow these trends but on an even lower level of significance. Positive environmental impacts would result from increased investment in green technologies, yet negative impacts would likely result from increased FDI in the oil sands and mining sectors in Canada. Various social impacts are expected, but all relatively minimal in scale. The majority of the study is devoted to investigating the costs vs. the benefits of including controversial NAFTA-style investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in CETA. It finds that there is no solid evidence to suggest that ISDS will maximise economic benefits in CETA beyond simply serving as one form of an enforcement mechanism, just as state-state dispute settlement is also an enforcement mechanism. And the policy space reductions caused by ISDS allowances in CETA, while less significant than foreseen by some parties, would be enough to cast doubt on its contribution to net sustainability benefits. As such, the study’s assessment suggests that a well-crafted state-state dispute settlement mechanism might be a more appropriate enforcement mechanism in CETA than ISDS