Product Standards, Exports and Employment: An Analytical Study (Contributions to Economics)

this Book Makes An Analytical Study Of Implications Of The New Set Of Non-tariff Barriers That Are Forthcoming On The Exports Of The Developing Countries In The Disguise Of Quality Regulations And Environmental Standards. It Argues That In The Present Era Of Globalization, With Technological Revolution In The West Raising The Demand For Skill-intensive, High Value-addition And High-quality Goods, Export-led Growth May Not Be A Poverty-reducing Strategy In The Short Run. Through the process of globalization, the trade dependence and int- dependence of the developing countries have increased phenomenally than ever before. The characteristic of this late twentieth-century globalization process has been the new technological revolution that has led to a high rate of world exports of electronics and other high-technology products. This has marginalized most of the developing countries exporting largely the low quality and low value-addition manufacturing and primary products, barring a few exceptions like China, India and Mexico. The fruits of globalization have, therefore, been unevenly distributed so far across the developed and the developing countries. Moreover, whatever little growth in exports of medium technology products has been achieved by a few of them, is largely driven by outsourcing of low value-addition and low- stage of activities by the foreign multinationals. Outsourcing of software services, rather than development of software packages, in India and assembly line for automobiles in Mexico are the two glaring examples. These activities may have boosted the total exports of these countries, but they have failed to generate any feedback effect on the rest of the economy in terms of skill formation, increase in overall productivity level and product diversification. This book makes an analytical study of implications of the new set of non-tariff barriers that are forthcoming on the exports of the developing countries in the disguise of quality regulations and environmental standards. It argues that in the present era of globalization, with technological revolution in theWest raising the demand for skill-intensive, high value-addition and high-quality goods, export-led growth may not be a poverty-reducing strategy. TOC:Introduction.- Dimensions of Quality Problem in Developing Countries.- Theories of Quality Choice.- Income Distribution, Trade Policy and Export Quality.- Wage Policy, Standards and the Labour Market.- Inter-Linkage Between Skill Formation and Export Quality.- Dirty Exports and Environmental Standards "This book makes an analytical study of implications of the new set of non-tariff barriers that are forthcoming on the exports of the developing countries in the disguise of quality regulations and environmental standards. It argues that in the present era of globalization, with technological revolution in the West raising the demand for skill-intensive, high value-addition and high-quality goods, export-led growth may not be a poverty-reducing strategy in the short run."--Jacket Introduction....Pages 1-4 Dimensions of Quality Problem in the Developing Countries....Pages 5-19 Theories of Quality Choice....Pages 21-57 Income Distribution, Trade Policy and Export Quality....Pages 59-76 Wage Policy, Standards and the Labour Market....Pages 77-90 Inter-Linkage Between Skill Formation and Export Quality....Pages 91-103 Dirty Exports and Environmental Standards....Pages 105-134 With the advent of the new technologies in the late twentieth century that has made possible the production of a commodity in a wide range of varieties and qualities, and with the consumers being aware of such availabilities in the market, competition among firms has taken a new dimension.