Podcasts

Back

The Crisis in World Trade

03
April 2019
Uri Daduch 
Related topics: 
Economy
Trade

Our Senior Fellow, Uri Dadush presents a Policy Brief entitled “The Crisis in World Trade” that he co-authored with 8 other experts. It provides decision-makers with a succinct review of the state of the trading system, to point to likely scenarios, and to serve as a background to or reference for the other six Policy Briefs prepared by the T20 Task Force on Trade, Investment and Globalization. The brief argues that the world trading system has been remarkably successful in many respects but that the present strain reflects causes that are deep-seated and require a strategic response.

RELATED CONTENT

  • The U.S. Tariff Saga Hasn’t Reached Its Climax Yet
    Authors
    Otaviano Canuto
    September 3, 2025
    Estimates based on last year’s U.S. imports, by Maia G. Crook (from JPMorgan) indicate that the average effective U.S. tariff rate is currently 16%, and is expected to rise to 20% by the end of 2025. This represents an increase from 13% mid-year and 2.3% in 2024 (Figure 1). Effective tariff rates are a measure of the degree of protection a tariff structure offers to the value added provided by each sector to a country’s final product, taking into account both the tax on final g ...
  • The Illusion of Reciprocity in Global Trade – and the Case for a Multipolar Order
    Authors
    Marcus Vinicius de Freitas
    August 22, 2025
    History offers ample instances in which the veneer of fairness in international relations has worn away, revealing with unsentimental clarity the crude mechanics of power. The contemporary global trade architecture, promoted for decades by the United States as a virtuous system of open markets, a rules-based order, and reciprocal gains, is merely the latest in a long lineage of such illusions. ...
  • Prospects for Deeper Economic Integration under AfCFTA
    August 22, 2025
    This episode explores the opportunities and challenges of achieving deeper economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). We discuss the potential for boosting intra-African trade, industrialization, and investment flows. The conversation highlights the nee...
  • Download PDF
    Plurilateralism and Regionalism as Alternatives to Multilateralism in Global Trade
    Authors
    Hung Q. Tran
    August 19, 2025
    The multilateral, rule-based trading system underpinned by the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been undermined by the unilateral imposition of U.S. tariffs. Crucially, the foundational principle of non-discrimination among WTO members has been abandoned. While many countries have attempted to negotiate with the U.S. to resolve tariff disputes, they have simultaneously sought to deepen trade ties with each other through plurilateral and regi ...
  • Global changes and effectiveness of innovation policy in Brazil
    Authors
    Sergio Queiroz
    Nicholas Vonortas
    Otaviano Canuto
    August 18, 2025
    This Paper was originally published on springer.comBrazil went from a quite impressive economic performance during much of the twentieth century to a period of mediocre growth from 1980 onwards. This shift has positioned the country as a textbook case of the “middle-income trap”. This paper aims to demonstrate how certain transformations in the international economy since the 1980s—notably the globalization of firms and industries—combined with a set of domestic challenges, disrupte ...
  • Brazil As a Special Target of President Trump’s Tariff Hikes
    Authors
    Otaviano Canuto
    August 4, 2025
    An Executive Order issued on July 30 by President Donald Trump hiked United States tariffs on imports from Brazil by 40%, in addition to the 10% established on April 2—the so-called ‘Liberation Day’ when Trump set out ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on countries around the world.The decree came with a long list of exemptions for Brazilian exports. For a number of product lines, the 10% April 2 tariff will continue to apply. These include air transport equipment, orange juice, furniture, fuel, ...
  • Securing Africa’s Future: Ring-Fencing Development Financing in an Era of Security-Focused Economic Policy
    Authors
    Hinh T. Dinh
    Laura Rubidge
    July 25, 2025
    This paper was originally published on The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) In the face of Africa’s development challenges and the mismatch between long-term needs and short-term pressures, ring-fencing development expenditures offers a viable solution to secure sustainable financing for growth. ...
  • Annual Report on the African Economy 2025
    Authors
    Edited by
    Larabi Jaïdi
    July 14, 2025
    Available soon on livremoi. The 2025 edition of the African Economic Report continues in the spirit of previous versions. It presents a broad overview of the continent’s economic evolution and offers insights into Africa’s relationship with the rest of the world. In other words, it explores how Africa navigates the effects of global fragmentation within its regional spaces while pursuing its ambition of continental integration. ...
  • Download PDF
    Asian Economic Integration Led by Trade Liberalization: A Lesson for Other Regions
    Authors
    Otaviano Canuto
    Hung Q. Tran
    July 9, 2025
    Developing countries have few options to deal with the ongoing tariff war amid unpredictable shifts in global supply chains. However, regional economic integration offers a strategic path of development in these uncertain and challenging times. Helped by geographical proximity and cultural familiarity, countries in a region can benefit greatly from promoting trade with one another, reaping the benefits of comparative advantages and economies of scale—if they are able to establish a ...
  • حديث الثلاثاء: تقييم اتفاقية التبادل الحر بين المغرب وتركيا
    July 8, 2025
    حلقة اليوم من برنامج حديث الثلاثاء تناقش اتفاقية التبادل الحر بين المغرب وتركيا، التي وُقعت عام 2004 ودخلت حيز التنفيذ سنة 2006 بهدف تعزيز التجارة الثنائية. رغم ارتفاع حجم المبادلات، سجل الميزان التجاري عجزاً متزايداً لصالح تركيا تجاوز 3 مليارات دولار سنة 2024، رغم تعديل الاتفاقية سنة 2...