This past two weeks, leaders from around the world gathered in New York to attend the United Nation’s General Assembly. One of the topics of discussion was the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 goals focused on improving the prosperity of people and the planet. One of the recurring themes in the 2030 Agenda is the role of trade in supporting economic growth … [Read more...] about The Importance of Inclusive Trade in Economic Development
Five Reasons Why Trade Agreements in Latin America and the Caribbean Matter
Trade agreements cover 70% of all trade in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Of the 270 free trade agreements (FTAs) currently in effect around the world, more than 70 include LAC countries. Let’s look at five reasons why trade agreements matter to LAC. 1) Trade has enormous potential for economic development and poverty reduction. Latin America is a recent example of … [Read more...] about Five Reasons Why Trade Agreements in Latin America and the Caribbean Matter
Big Data and Trade: Tell Me How You Connect and I’ll Tell You What You Buy
Big data became a hot topic following the release of the film Moneyball, which starred Brad Pitt. Based on a true story, it recounts how massive databases enabled a baseball team to climb from the bottom rungs of the league ladder to the top simply by scrutinizing statistics on the optimal performance of each of its players and devising a strategy for each match based on these … [Read more...] about Big Data and Trade: Tell Me How You Connect and I’ll Tell You What You Buy
Where to get trade and market access data for Latin America and the Caribbean?
Last September we held a live webinar (in Spanish) to present the INTrade website. The presentation focused on the visualization tools of the system, and showed the basic queries that give access to the specific data that may be of use to whoever seeks to learn more about trade flows and the barriers and opportunities in regional trade. If you missed the webinar, you can watch … [Read more...] about Where to get trade and market access data for Latin America and the Caribbean?
The RTA Exchange: Why Now?
At ICTSD, for a number of years we have been closely studying the nature and evolution of today’s global trade and investment system, which is best described using Keohane and Victor’s “regime complex” conceptualization. The principles, norms, rules, and procedures of the quasi-universal multilateral trade system embodied by the GATT-World Trade Organization (WTO) and its … [Read more...] about The RTA Exchange: Why Now?