R4D Trade

Beyond Conflict: Reconfiguring approaches to the regional trade in minerals from Eastern DRC

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:03:00 GMT

Miscellaneous H. Mitchell and N. Garrett 2009 86 pp. This report first provided an overview and analysis of the regional trade in minerals from Eastern DRC, including a baseline assessment of its links to conflict and development dynamics. This assessment explains the on the ground realities, which are at the very heart of the authors scepticism towards the potential success of interventions in the economic domain. The assessment of the trade also provides an overview of the important poverty reduction contribution, such as the trades fiscal linkage and employment function, which it currently provides and which can be expanded with the right strategies.

Secondly, the report expands on a regional perspective of the trade and introduces how successfully the DRCs neighbours, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania, have leveraged their own mineral production and trading sectors in various ways for development. This regional assessment of the development impact, but more importantly the regional development potential of a reformed trade leads us to believe that processes of regional economic integration, which are strengthening in East Africa, provide an increasingly important analytical perspective of the trade, rather than the loot thy neighbour strategy that was seen to prevail during the past two Congolese wars.

This report aims to further advances the debate around the mineral sector in Eastern DRC. The authors urge stakeholders to take action to end the insecurity in the region and to implement strategies to maximise the mining sectors impact on poverty reduction and development through positive engagement.

This is Open Access Week

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

This week, 19-23 October 2009, is the first International Open Access Week, which aims to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access.

Assuring trade liberalization agreements achieve their goals

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:24:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2005 Trade Faciliation Policy Note, 6 pp. The impact of preferential trade agreements depends on their design and implementation. Gains cannot be taken for granted. When such agreements are designed to stimulate trade and bring net economic benefits to partners, effective implementation must minimize the number of excluded products, apply nonrestrictive rules of origin and, most importantly, strive for low trade barriers for non-members. In addition, agreements often involve the removal of non-tariff barriers, the liberalization of trade-in services, investment and intellectual property provisions, and mechanisms for conflict resolution. In order to ensure that preferential trade agreements fulfill the expectations of the public and private sectors, the above provisions must be properly implemented.

Trade Logistics: Practical Measures

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:29:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2005 Trade Facilitation Policy Note, 6 pp. This Note considers actions that can be taken by countries to change the import/export process to optimize the supply chain without requiring a significant commitment of government resources.

Public-Private Partnerships in Trade and Transport Facilitation

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:06:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2005 Trade Facilitation Policy Note, 6 pp. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are designed by and exist between public organizations and corporations, companies, or non-governmental organizations working in collaboration to achieve mutually beneficial results. In trade and transport facilitation, PPPs bring together stakeholders in trade and transportation to design and implement procedures that improve the efficiency of public and private management of the international supply chain.

Democratising Trade Politics in the Americas: Insights from the Womens, Environmental and Labour Movements. IDS Working Paper No. 328.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:52:00 GMT

Miscellaneous R. Icaza, P. Newell and M. Saguier 2009 Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK, ISBN: 978 1 85864 767 3, 59 pp. This paper explores the extent to which and the ways in which civil society groups are contributing to the democratisation of trade policy and politics in the Americas. It explores the strategies adopted by a range of NGOs and social movements to influence the decision-making processes and the content of the trade agenda. This includes efforts to open up existing spaces of participation as well as the creation of new ones through forms of citizen engagement, democratic innovation and efforts to change the terms of debate. We concentrate on the cases of the womens, environmental and labour movements in relation to the trade agenda promoted by the NAFTA, MERCOSUR and FTAA initiatives.

The first part of the paper provides a discussion of the constraints that recent trade integration processes in the Americas pose to the possibility of deepening democracy. This is followed by an engagement with existing literatures on democratisation in Latin America to draw parallels and identify insights on the nature of the relationship between trade and democracy. The second part draws on three case studies of the strategies of movements in Latin America in their attempts to influence trade policy processes across political scales. The first case study explores the initiatives of womens and feminist organisations in Mexico to incorporate a gender perspective into the debate about NAFTA. The second case deals with the engagements of the environmental movement at the sub-regional and hemispheric levels in relation to the NAFTA, MERCOSUR and FTAA initiatives. The third case focuses on the labour movement in the Americas in relation to the FTAA process. The conclusion reflects on what has been achieved and what future challenges remain.

DFID releases a new project database

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Information about projects funded by DFID, ranging from emergency aid for countries affected by conflict or humanitarian crises, to ongoing support to improve health, education and sanitation in the poorest countries, is now available online.

DFID seeks applications for three posts in the Research Uptake Team

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:00:00 GMT

DFID is seeking to fill three posts in the Research Uptake team within the Policy and Research Directorate - Team Leader and two Research Evidence Brokers

COPLA website

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:33:00 GMT

Miscellaneous COPLA 2007 Comercio y Pobreza en Latino América (COPLA) is a 2-year project funded by the UK Department for International Development. It explores the linkages between trade, poverty and social exclusion. Although there is an active debate in the region on the relationship between trade liberalisation on poverty, little attention has been paid to the different impacts on marginalised groups, whether they be women, youth, indigenous minorities or the rural poor. The COPLA website includes published outputs of the project, resources from COPLA partners, and links to COPLA information on YouTube, Twitter and Flickr.

Untangling links between trade, poverty and gender.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:23:00 GMT

Miscellaneous N. Jones and H. Baker 2008 ODI Briefing Paper 38, 4 pp. This Briefing argues that: Changes in employment, prices and social expenditures are three pathways linking trade and gender; Trade liberalisation may have positive or negative impacts, but there are risks for women; Trade reforms must be complemented by social and labour policies to ensure that women can take full advantage of the new economic environment.

Making trade policy in Latin America more pro-poor: Is greater participation the answer?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:13:00 GMT

Miscellaneous A. R. Menocal 2008 ODI Opinion Paper 106, 2 pp. There is a widespread, but hard to quantify, view in Latin America that the poor are over-represented among the losers of liberalised trade. This leads to a pressing question: how can interested stakeholders influence trade policy-making to make trade work better for the poor?

Trade as a human right: A summary of arguments.

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:10:00 GMT

Miscellaneous COPLA 2008 1 p. The arguments for and against trade being regarded as a human right are presented in the form of a cartoon strip.

Should trade be considered a human right?

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:03:00 GMT

Miscellaneous S. Hague, S. Fernandez, M. Meyn, and M. Fernandez Valle 2008 COPLA, 4 pp. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrates its 60th anniversary on 10 December 2008. This declaration has served as a foundation of international law in the intervening years and also holds the record as the most translated document in the world; it is available in over 360 languages. One of the main areas of focus of the declaration is on economic rights, which has been further detailed in the UNs International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Ensuring the right to work is a central tenant of both these documents, but never do they explicitly mention trade as a mechanism for ensuring this fundamental right. And yet trade plays a key role in promoting the economic growth and stability that jobs and workers rely on. The Trade and Poverty in Latin America (COPLA) programme has therefore taken this anniversary as an opportunity to pose a question to a diverse group of experts: Should trade be considered a human right?

The impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:00:00 GMT

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) publishes a series of policy briefs exploring the impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries ahead of the G20 summit

New Director at ODI

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Alison Evans is announced as the new Director at the Overseas Development Institute.

Update from the Research Into Use Programme

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:00:00 GMT

New publications are available which highlight the work of the DFID-funded Research Into Use Programme (RIU)

A commodity-based approach to livestock trade

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:00 GMT

New standards proposed for livestock products from Africa could fundamentally change the way in which meat is imported into key markets and help poor livestock producers trade their way out of poverty

Encouraging growth in Africa's seed industry

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:00:00 GMT

The DFID-supported programme providing business development services to small and medium-sized seed companies is helping to transform Africa's growing seed industry

DFID seeks research fellows to design and execute research programmes

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Notification of forthcoming appointment opportunities at the Department for International Development (DFID) for senior research fellows

Strategic opportunism in bridging research and policy in Latin America

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Research from the DFID Trade and Poverty in Latin America programme (COPLA), shows that the agricultural sector of the southern Peruvian Andes, where the poorest people in the country live, is vulnerable to the effects that the imports of goods from the US

Innovative techniques in rural road access open up areas for more food production

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 GMT

DFID's research programme SEACAP in South East Asia produces solutions for regional planning and local participation

International Conference on Natural Resource Management, Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:00:00 GMT

African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) 20th Anniversary Conference on Natural Resource Management, Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa. A call for papers

CGIAR receives £130 million for agricultural research

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:00:00 GMT

CGIAR is allocated £130 million as part of the funding already announced for agricultural research under DFID's new 5-year research strategy

Time for changes in agricultural production

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) launched on 15 April 2008.

Economic Partnership Agreements Fisheries Trade Issues in ACP/EU and WTO Negotiations

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current With respect to the EPA negotiations, this project aims to develop a clear understanding of parties' interests in fisheries trade agreements with the EU. It involves a technical study on the impact of the EU's commercial, fisheries and related policies and practice on international trade in fisheries products with ACP countries. It also involves workshops for consultation, co-ordination and dissemination.

Informal Trade

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current Southern Africa Regional Trade Facilitation Programme - ITD fund only desk study on regulation To gather data to increase knowledge about the scope and scale of small scale cross border trade in Southern Africa so as to inform the SADC, COMESA and national governments in the region to enable them to make informed policy decisions.

World Bank Trade Facilitation Project

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current This project is focused on contributing to stronger understanding of the concrete relationships between trade costs, facilitation, private sector growth, and export competitiveness in developing countries.

General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Impact Assessment

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Objectives and activities: To facilitate the assessment of services trade in developing countries in order to allow more informed engaged in regional and multilateral services-trade negotiations.

2-year research program in cooperation with the World Bank and UNCTAD involving cross-country and cross-sector trade liberalisation efforts and outcomes.

Assessment of Trade in Services in the COMESA region

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed National and regional assessment of performance and extent of liberalisation of the policy and regulatory environment for services being undertaken in 18 COMESA member states. Outputs include national and regional assessment reports; and GATS compatible national legislations, regulations and administrative measures. Outputs will assist the Eastern and Southern Africa group to prepare for EPA negotiations and COMESA WTO Member States to make progress in the "Request and Offer" process of the GATS negotiations.

Funding of OECD study on Donor best practices in Trade Facilitation

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed To provide Funding to OECD for the drafting of a study on to identify Good Practices for Strengthening Capacities to Implement Trade Facilitation Measures and a companion report report review on UK past Technical assistnace and capacity building in the domain of trade Facilitation (TF-TA&CB)

Monitoring Small Scale Cross Border Trade in Southern Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Border monitoring surveys aimed at:

Trade Policy Development Programme World Bank Phase Two

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current To fund research and capacity building programmes that will address key issues likely to have risen before and after the WTO negotiations. These will aim to ensure that negotiations are based on sound analysis, and to help strengthen developing countries capacity to participate effectively in the negotiations.

There are nine major components, as listed below:

Trade Reform in Southern Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current Various research papers, workshop and conference papers will ultimately be compiled into a book. The research assesses the prospects for, and potential implications of, substantial trade reform in South Africa/SACU in light of domestic economic and political constraints. The research will also assess the implications of further trade reform in South Africa for Southern Africa. The work will draw on trade liberalisation experiences of other regions.

Monitoring Small Scale Cross Border Trade in Southern Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current Surveys are being carried out SADC-wide and will be repeated at least twice (RTFP funding part 1 of 5 part programme, while ITD is funding part 2 directly).

Border monitoring surveys aimed at:

National and regional reports showing the status of trade and constraints facing small scale trade and recommending measures for improving the trading and policy environment as well as for legitimizing small scale trading activities.

Trade case studies

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 01:00:00 GMT

Building capacity for trade plays an important role in enabling developing countries to take advantage of the opportunities of international trade

R4D Trade

Beyond Conflict: Reconfiguring approaches to the regional trade in minerals from Eastern DRC

This is Open Access Week

Assuring trade liberalization agreements achieve their goals

Trade Logistics: Practical Measures

Public-Private Partnerships in Trade and Transport Facilitation

Democratising Trade Politics in the Americas: Insights from the Womens, Environmental and Labour Movements. IDS Working Paper No. 328.

DFID releases a new project database

DFID seeks applications for three posts in the Research Uptake Team

COPLA website

Untangling links between trade, poverty and gender.

Making trade policy in Latin America more pro-poor: Is greater participation the answer?

Trade as a human right: A summary of arguments.

Should trade be considered a human right?

The impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries

New Director at ODI

Update from the Research Into Use Programme

A commodity-based approach to livestock trade

Encouraging growth in Africa's seed industry

DFID seeks research fellows to design and execute research programmes

Strategic opportunism in bridging research and policy in Latin America

Innovative techniques in rural road access open up areas for more food production

International Conference on Natural Resource Management, Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa

CGIAR receives £130 million for agricultural research

Time for changes in agricultural production

Economic Partnership Agreements Fisheries Trade Issues in ACP/EU and WTO Negotiations

Informal Trade

World Bank Trade Facilitation Project

General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Impact Assessment

Assessment of Trade in Services in the COMESA region

Funding of OECD study on Donor best practices in Trade Facilitation

Monitoring Small Scale Cross Border Trade in Southern Africa

Trade Policy Development Programme World Bank Phase Two

Trade Reform in Southern Africa

Monitoring Small Scale Cross Border Trade in Southern Africa

Trade case studies

Democratising Trade Politics in the Americas: Insights from the Womens, Environmental and Labour Movements. IDS Working Paper No. 328.