Instructions for the Writing Assignments

THE GEORGEWASHINGTONUNIVERSITY

Department of Economics

Economics 195Prof. Steve Suranovic

The Economics of the WTOSpring 2007

Instructions for the Writing Assignments

Paper 1 – Historical Briefing(draft due

The first paper should be a short description of the important and interesting aspects of a trade related historical event. It should be in the style of a short Wikipedia article. However, it cannot be copied from Wiki, so ideally it should cover an event that does not currently have a Wiki article. Alternatively, it could cover an aspect of the event not covered in a Wiki article.

As a short historical article it should very briefly answer all the usual questions; What? Who? When? Where? Why? Also, you should explain, Who Cares? Namely, who was, or is, affected by the event. What are the subsequent implications, or effects, of the event?

Below I have provided a non-exhaustive list of possible topics. Everyone must choose a different topic. Pick one and email me. First request in, wins the topic.

GATT – Geneva round 1947 / Any US tariff Act with little info. See
For example, Tariff of 1816 is already described, but the McKinley tariff has very little.
GATT – Annecy round 1949 / GATT – Kennedy round 1967 / US Trade adjustment assistance (TAA), or NAFTA TAA
GATT – Torquay round 1951 / GATT – Tokyo round 1979 / NAFTA labor and environment clauses
GATT – Geneva round 1955 / TILMA: BC and Alberta in Canada (?) / RTAA (1934) or RTAA implementation
GATT – Dillon round 1962 / US Bilateral Investment treaties (BITs) / US Antidumping Act of 1916
World Customs Org. Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade ("SAFE") / The International Trade Organization (ITO) / Section 301 of US 1974 Trade Act
FTAs (pick one): US+ Chile, Singapore, Israel, Oman, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan, / Other FTAs: Agadir, COMESA, SAFTA,
Also: Mexico+Brazil, Japan+Mexico, China+Pakistan, EU+South Africa, / Any VER agreement (US: Autos (1982), cotton (1950s and 60s), footwear (1980s) , steel (many years), honey (1990s))
Fuck World Trade by Leftover Crack / Pink-Silver Marches / World Social Forum – Porto Allegre (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005); Mumbai (2004); Polycentric (2006)

Paper 2

This is the main paper to be written for the course. There will be several preliminary submissions leading up to the final paper due at the end of the semester. The purpose of the research paper is to communicate in a clear and compelling way either,

1)the history, issues, outcomes and effects of one WTO dispute settlement case or,

2)the history, issues, outcomes and effects of one WTO member country vis-à-vis its WTO/GATT membership, or

3)the history, issues, outcomes and effects of one country’s WTO accession process.

All papers should be targeted to a lay audience, that is, a group of readers who have very little exposure or understanding of the WTO. This group may also have very little interest in the subject. Thus, your job is to make the case or the country’s WTO experience interesting and understandable. All topics will undoubtedly contain both political and economic elements. Your paper should discuss both aspects but should also emphasize the economic aspects. You should look for creative ways to present the information using charts, tables or other visual guides. A good model to follow would be to write in the style of an Economist article. An example of a good quality final paper by a former student can be found HERE.

This paper will have three separate assignments.

1)The first assignment involves answering a series of questions about your chosen topic. This can be thought of as the data collection phase. Be sure to include a list of references for your sources. This assignment will be collected on February 28 and returned by March 19 with comments and suggestions.

2)The second assignment is a rough draft submission. This will be collected on April 4 and returned by April 18 with comments and suggestions.

3)The final draft of this paper will be collected on May 7

Paper 2: Option #1

For Option 1 each student must pick one case from among the 335+ cases listed here in the Chronological list of disputes casesat the WTO website. A one-page summary of all noteworthy DSB cases can be found HERE. Do not choose a case that did not produce a panel decision. This reduces the number of eligible cases considerably.

Assignment 1: Briefly answer the following questions relating to your DSB case. Provide a list of references listing all of your sources.

Who filed the case with the DSB?

Who is the defendant?

Are there any third parties? Who?

Specifically, with what violation of WTO commitments is the defendant country charged? (Explain simply but clearly. Do not reference section and clause numbers.)

Which WTO agreements are referenced?

Which industries are affected?

How large is the level of imports/exports between the countries involved?

How large is this trade relative to total trade? … relative to the entire economy sizes?

When was the case filed?

Who were the panel members? .. from which countries?

Can you find any bio info about the panel members?

When was the first panel decision issued? … how long did it take? … any extensions?

Was an appeal filed?

When was the appellate report completed? … how long did it take?

If a violation, did the country change its laws to comply?

How long did compliance take?

Did the complainants request a suspension of concessions?

Were suspensions approved? … How long after the panel report?

What was the size of the allowed suspensions?

What was the total time of the dispute?

What did the winning country(ies) say about the WTO decisions?

What did the losing country(ies) say about the WTO decisions?

Does the dispute have any wider or future implications? Explain.

Were any groups opposed to or speak out against the WTO decision?

What were the reasons for the opposition?

Paper 2: Option #2

For Option 2 each student must pick one WTO member country from the list provided here. One place to begin is to read the country’s most recent Trade Policy Review, available here at the WTO website.

Assignment 1: Briefly answer the following questions relating to your country. Provide a list of references listing all of your sources.

How big is the country (economically)?

How much does it trade? (exports and imports as % of GDP)

Who are its main trading partners? (ranking?)

What are its main export items? … main import items?

When did the country join the GATT/WTO?

How many rounds of participation?

What were the main changes after each round?

If acceded recently, what were the main accession concessions?

If not acceded recently, what were the main concessions made in the Uruguay round?

How have trade patterns (exports/imports/products) changed during GATT/WTO membership?

How many WTO trade disputes has the country been a party to?

How many as complainant? .. how many as defendant?

Which countries have been disputants?

List the disputes and the above info in table form.

Describe any recent AD/AS/Safeguard cases.

How many? Which type? Which countries? Which products? How much trade affected?

What is the current national viewpoint about WTO membership?

Has WTO membership affected political campaigns? If yes, describe briefly?

What positions has the country taken vis-à-vis the Doha round?

Is there any national opposition to the country’s WTO membership? If yes, briefly describe the issues.

Paper 2: Option 3

For Option 3 each student must pick one WTO member country that has acceded recently (within the past 10-15 years) or one that is in the accession process. The WTO website provides a list of member countries with their dates of accession and a list of countries currently negotiating for accession.

Assignment 1: Briefly answer the following questions relating to your country. Provide a list of references listing all of your sources.

How big is the country (economically)?

How much does it trade? (exports and imports as % of GDP)

Who are its main trading partners? (ranking?)

What are its main export items? … main import items?

When did the country accede to the WTO? .. or when is it expected?

How many years was the country in the accession process?

How many other countries requested consultations?

When were the final few bilateral agreements reached? … who were the holdouts?

What were the key issues, or concerns, or concessions requested, by others?

Describe any major trade policy changes made before accession.

What were the main accession concessions ultimately agreed to?

How have trade patterns (exports/imports/products) changed during WTO membership?

Since membership, how many WTO trade disputes has the country been a party to?