Poverty And the WTO: Impacts of the Doha Development Agenda (World Bank Trade and Development Series) (World Bank Trade and Development Series)

Poverty reduction is deemed to be a centerpiece of the Doha Development Agenda currently being negotiated under the auspices of the WTO. Yet there is considerable debate about the poverty impacts of such an agreement. Some are convinced it will increase poverty, while others are equally convinced that it will lead to poverty reduction. This book brings the best scientific methods to bear on this question, taking into account the specific characteristics embodied in the Doha Development Agenda. This study reports on the findings from a major international research project investigating the poverty impacts of a potential Doha Development Agenda (DDA). It combines in a novel way the results from several strands of research. First, it draws on an intensive analysis of the DDA Framework Agreement, with particularly close attention paid to potential reforms in agriculture. The scenarios are built up using newly available tariff line data, and their implications for world markets are established using a global modeling framework. These world trade impacts form the basis for 12 country case studies of the national poverty impacts of these DDA scenarios. The focus countries are Bangladesh, Brazil (2 studies), Cameroon, China (2 studies), Indonesia, Mexico, Mozambique, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, and Zambia. Although the diversity of approaches taken in these studies limits the ability to draw broader conclusions, an additional study that provides a 15-country cross-section analysis is aimed at this objective. Finally, a global analysis provides estimates for the world as a whole. This book considers the debate surrounding the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) currently being negotiated under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO), using fifteen country studies, coupled with the global analysis, to draw general conclusions about the poverty impacts of a prospective DDA. Takes into account the specific characteristics embodied in the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). A fifteen-country study, coupled with the global analysis, allows the authors to draw more general conclusions about the poverty impacts of a prospective DDA.