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There is no doubt that the open multilateral trading system after World War II was a key ingredient in the rapid economic development of the entire world. Especially in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, exports increased dramatically both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GNP. In the 1980's, however, preferential trading arrangements (PTAs) began to emerge as significant factors affecting world trade. This volume contains thirteen papers that analyze the tensions between multilateral trading systems and preferential trade arrangements and the impact of these tensions on East Asia. The first four chapters introduce PTAs conceptually and focus on the unique political issues that these agreements involve. The next five essays present more direct empirical analyses of existing PTAs and their economic effects, primarily in East Asia. The last four papers concentrate on the outcomes of individual East Asian nations' trading policies in specific instances of preferential agreements.

Regionalism --- International economic integration --- Trade blocs --- International economic relations --- Congresses --- East Asia --- Foreign economic relations --- Regional economic blocs --- Regional trading blocs --- Trading blocs --- Asia, East --- Asia, Eastern --- East (Far East) --- Eastern Asia --- Far East --- International trade --- Human geography --- Nationalism --- Interregionalism --- Orient --- taiwan, singapore, korea, hong kong, economics, economy, gnp, exports, preferential trading arrangements, pta, east asia, regionalism, nafta, mexico, growth triangle, free trade, asean, osaka agenda, apec, finance, nonfiction, ec, efta, integration, capital markets, participation, labor, social policy, business, profit, international.

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June 2000 - Members of the World Trade Organization have decided provisionally to exempt electronic delivery of products from customs duties. There is growing support for the decision to be made permanent. Is this desirable? Some countries in the World Trade Organization initially opposed WTO's decision to exempt electronic delivery of products from customs duties, out of concern for the revenue consequences. Others supported the decision as a means of securing open trading conditions. Mattoo and Schuknecht argue that neither the inhibitions nor the enthusiasm are fully justified. First, even if all delivery of digitizable media products moved online - an unlikely prospect - the revenue loss for most countries would be small. More important, however, the prohibition of customs duties does not ensure continued open access for electronically delivered products and may even prompt recourse to inferior instruments of protection. Barrier-free electronic commerce would be more effectively secured by deepening and widening the limited cross-border trade commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and by clarifying and strengthening certain GATS disciplines. This paper-a product of Trade, Development Research Group-is part of a larger effort in the group to improve trade policy for goods and services. It is part of a larger project on trade in services supported in part by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development. Aaditya Mattoo may be contacted at amattoo@worldbank.org.

Commodities --- Cross-Border Trade --- Customs --- Customs Duties --- Debt Markets --- E-Business --- Economic Theory and Research --- Electronic Commerce --- Emerging Markets --- European Union --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Services --- Free Trade --- Importing Country --- International Economics & Trade --- International Trade --- Law and Development --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Market Access --- National Treatment --- Preferential Trading Arrangements --- Preferential Treatment --- Private Sector Development --- Public Sector Development --- Recourse --- Tariff Reductions --- Trade --- Trade and Services --- Trade Diversion --- Trade Law --- Trade Policies --- Trade Policy --- Trade Regime --- Transport --- Transport and Trade Logistics --- World Trade Organization