RESOURCES

2007 WORLD ECONOMIC SITUATION AND PROSPECTS (MID-YEAR UPDATE). By the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, June 2007. This mid-year update emphasizes that the world economy is still strongly tied to US fortunes and, for current world economic growth rates to continue, it is crucial to keep the US dollar from falling rapidly while also avoiding a recession. It also highlights the importance of improving the employment effects of positive growth in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The update is available at http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp.html.

FINANCIAL SERVICES AND TRADE AGREEMENTS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: AN OVERVIEW. By Constantinos Stephanou and Marilyne Pereira Goncalves. World Bank, May 2007. The authors of this working paper review the international framework governing trade in financial services, describe the treatment of financial services in recent trade agreements involving Latin America and Caribbean countries, and analyze the liberalization commitments made in three selected country case studies: Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica. The authors discuss some of the causes and potential implications of their findings. The paper is available at http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/03/27/000016406_20070327092005/Rendered/PDF/wps4181.pdf.

EVALUATING THE TRADE EFFECT OF DEVELOPING REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS: A SEMI-PARAMETRIC APPROACH. By Souleymane Coulibaly .World Bank, May 2007. Many recent papers have pointed to ambiguous trade effects of developing regional trade agreements (RTAs) and have called for a reassessment of their economic merits. The author of this working paper focuses on seven such agreements currently in force in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America estimating their impacts on their members' trade flows. The results of this analysis indicate that, with one exception, these RTAs had a positive impact on their members' intra-trade during the period of study. The paper is available at http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/04/23/000016406_20070423162325/Rendered/PDF/wps4220.pdf.

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT THROUGH TRADE. By the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and the Global Mechanism, 2007. This paper is the result of research and discussions held during an exploratory dialogue on ways to increase investment in sustainable land management (SLM) through market access and trade. The paper identifies linkages between trade policies and rules, SLM, and livelihoods in arid areas; examines the potential for alternative livelihoods to enhance sustainable use of land and natural resources; and reviews relevant policy instruments, mechanisms and tools for enhancing SLM through trade. The paper is available at http://www.global-mechanism.org/dynamic/documents/document_file/trade_livelihoods_and_slm_paper.pdf.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ISSUES IN ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES. By Lynn Mytelka. United Nations University-Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology, 2007. This paper seeks to develop a broad conceptualization of the technology transfer process and open the discussion on the need for a multi-goal approach to Environment Goods and Services (EGS) negotiations in the WTO. It argues that a broader perspective must be adopted, with longer-term goals and processes and a more integrated approach to EGS negotiations with the WTO. The author maintains that such a reframing would reshape North-South negotiations on EGS to include commitments, activities, and partnerships that encourage learning and innovation in the South and address the global importance of sustainable development. The paper is available at http://www.ictsd.org/pubs/ictsd_series/env/2007-04-L.Mytelka.pdf.