Next generation non-tariff measures: Emerging data policies and barriers to digital trade
January 2020, NO. 187
By Gloria Pasadilla, Yann Duval and Witada Anukoonwattaka.

Trade used to be about goods crossing borders and the instrument of protection was mostly through tariffs. Then there was greater recognition of trade in services, now exceeding the share of goods in global trade. Because of services, the focus of trade protection shifted more towards ‘behind the border barriers’ or domestic regulations that can obstruct services trade. More recently, the flows of goods and services are eclipsed yet again by data flows whose contribution to the economy is projected to reach $11 trillion by 2025. In the digital era, a new set of non-tariff measures – mostly related to data - have thus emerged. The paper seeks to understand the role of data in business and trade, the nature of some data flows restrictions and other digital trade barriers, and potential impact of data regulations.
Find the full paper here. 

The relationship and the effect of NTMs on sustainable development in nations is unsure, especially so in North and Central Asia where the levels of NTM transparency are some of the lowest. This workshop focussed on this topic and attempted to increase capacity for evaluating, presenting and monitoring the effects of NTMs on sustainable development, which could also be shared with other countries in the region.
More...

ARTNeT Seminar “The False Economy of Geoeconomics”
Speaker Dr. Shiro Armstrong, Australian National University
29 January, Bangkok

The talk will be given by Dr. Shiro Armstrong, Director of the Australia - Japan Research Centre and Director of the Asian Bureau of Economic Research at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. The seminar will focus on how middle power economies such as Australia and Japan can position themselves, both in terms of security and economic goals during the trade war, and if a binary choice between China or America can be avoided.
For more information and registration please go here.

The annual Why Think Tanks Matter Forum and the 2019 Global Go To Think Tank Report Launch
30 September 2020

On the 30th January over 200 organisations in 125 cities will come together and host events to mark the release of the 2019 Global Think Tank Report. This will also be an opportunity to further discuss the importance of think tanks globally and regionally
The report will be available in due time at the TTCSP website.

13th Anniversary of SANEM
As the new year came in, it was also the 13th birthday of SANEM, which was established in 2007.
SANEM has provided a vast amount of research and collaboration opportunities. They have also recently published the new issue of Thinking Aloud, which can be found in the publication section below.
For more information on SANEM, please follow this link. 

SUIBE, an institutional partner of ARTNeT through the WTO Chairs programme is celebrating its 60^th anniversary on October 18^th, 2020 at Songjiang Campus, Shanghai, and will be organising several exciting events – mark your calendars and we will provide more information in due course.

Institute of Business Administration, Karachi (Pakistan) invites the ARTNeT secretariat to address its students
4 February 2020
ARTNeT institutional member IBA, Karachi (Pakistan) has invited the ARTNeT secretariat to give a lecture to students of an International trade class taught by ARTNeT focal point Dr Aadil Nakhoda and present the findings of the Asia-Pacifc Trade and Investment Report 2019,  and the updates on trade in goods, services, FDI and regional integration.

December, 2019
This publication analyses the trends in Asia-Pacific commercial services trade. The paper found that the A-P region remained ahead of the rest of the world in commercial services trade, but the service sector of Asia and the Pacific is under pressure from rising tensions, such as the US-China trade war and also disputes such as between Japan and the Republic of Korea.
More...

---

The outlook for Asia and the Pacific in terms of trade in goods is modest. The events of the US-China trade war have led to large reductions in the levels of trade in the region, reaching the lowest point since the 2009 crisis. However, with the US and China coming to an interim agreement and rolling back some tariffs there is hope of a slight increase, but it will take a lot more to reverse the effects of the trade war on the Asia-Pacific region.

---

Globally FDI trends have been decreasing for three consecutive years in 2018. The A-P region has also seen a decrease in the amount of FDI inflows, however the share of global FDI to the region has increased and is actually the largest destination among developing regions for FDI globally. The publication looks at the trends among different subregions and the trends in different types of FDI and suggests that the low levels of greenfield investment may lead to a reduction in future FDI flows.

---

This paper aims to support policy makers and general public to better understand UNCTAD’s Business-to-Consumer index (B2C). While B2C index provides very useful comparison on e-commerce development among countries, further question can be asked on how a country perform given the national resources underpinning e-commerce development.

---

Exploring non-tariff measures and Sustainable Development Goals: A global concordance matrix and application to Asia and the Pacific
December, 2019, NO.4
This working paper presents a methodology to link NTMs imposed on certain product groups to relevant SDGs and their targets, based on the stated or implied objectives of NTMs as reflected in the UNCTAD’s Trade Analysis and Information System (TRAINS) database. A matrix of information strings linking SDG Targets, HS codes, NTM codes, as well as selected keywords is constructed. The matrix is then used to analyse the extent to which NTMs in the TRAINS database are related to SDGs in selected countries, with a specific focus on Asia and the Pacific.
More...

---

January, 2020
The first volume of Thinking Aloud in 2020 from SANEM follows the theme of the theme of “Challenges of Achieving SDGs in Developing Countries” and contains multiple articles that provide current research on this matter.
The articles included in the publication range from topics on financial challenges to gender equality in developing countries and how these topics relate to achieving the SDGs.
The article also pulls together a summary of all events that took place in December 2019 and the outcomes from the events.
More...

---

December, 2019
This publication (produced by authors from ARTNeT member Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh) provides an overview of trends in youth employment in Bangladesh, empirically analyses the determinants of youth unemployment, covers relevant economic theory, and recommends policy measures for employment creation in Bangladesh. The book brings together evidence-based research in order to evaluate the trends in youth unemployment in Bangladesh, which is one of the foremost development challenges of our time.
The new evidence found aims to allow for relevant and concurrent policy discussions on youth employment in Bangladesh and provide insight for other developing countries.
More...

---

October, 2019
Services trade is increasing in global importance and the same is true for South Asia, where services trade is becoming a vital component. However, integration needs to be increased in order to decrease the existing high transaction costs. Measures which could be taken to improve this situation are effective utilisation of regional platforms, easing in movement of professionals and minimising the investment barriers can be useful measures.
More...

Call for submissions of articles for the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda Academic Network (CCAANs)
The Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda has began searching for further research, collaborations, papers and books on trade related issues in 2020, to be published and be a part of the growing CCAANs.
Moreover, there is potential for a CCAANs seminar if sufficient funds can be sourced, more information upon this will follow later in  the year.
More available at the Commonwealth website.

The 3rd JBFEM Symposium 2020, call for papers
February 13-14, 2020, Tokyo

SSBRN invites scholars around the world to join our symposium. The symposium provides a networking session for participants. The best papers will be awarded to three presented papers. Award-winning authors will receive a Best Paper Award certificate and a free registration fee for the 4th JBFEM Symposium 2021 in Seoul, South Korea.
More available here.

 

National Consultant on LDC Graduation in Cambodia
24, January 2020 Deadline

25, January 2020 Deadline
IFPRI is collaborating with FAO on a new project, “Intra-Regional Trade in the Association of South-East Asia Nations (ASEAN): An Assessment of the Impact of Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs)”. The position will require the collection and analysis of NTMs on selected food products in ASEAN and produce econometric estimations of Ad-Valorem equivalents of NTMS impeding the trade of selected food and agricultural commodities within ASEAN. The findings will then be put into a research paper and be used to conduct a workshop to review and validate the analysis.
The position will run between 1 February - 30 June 2020.
How to apply? The application must contain the following documents (in PDF format):
1. A short curriculum vitae of the applicant that includes the current or last affiliation;
2. The applicant’s letter of motivation explaining her/his motivation in academic research and in the project;
3. A letter of recommendation.
When selected, the researcher will have to provide an US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) checklist.
Submissions that do not fulfil the conditions mentioned in this call or do not contain the necessary appropriate documents will not be considered.

The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) also has a new focal point, Mr Souvik Bhattacharjya. He has more than 15 years of experience in energy and environmental research and management consulting. His research ranges from resource efficiency to service value chains promoting the 6Rs.