ISBN-13: 9781844076611 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 368 str.
ISBN-13: 9781844076611 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 368 str.
Trade liberalisation, as promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) has become one of the dominant drivers and most controversial aspects of globalization. Trade sustainability impact assessments (SIAs) were introduced as a means of generating better understanding of the social and environmental impacts of trade liberalisation and of making those impacts more consistent with sustainable development. This book takes a hard look at the practice of Trade SIAs to date, and the extent to which they have achieved their objectives and improved the outcomes of trade negotiations. It proposes several ways in which Trade SIAs could be made more effective, and illustrates these in respect of controversial sectors such as textiles, services and investment. Finally the book makes proposals beyond SIA through which some of the conflicts between trade liberalization and sustainable development could be more effectively addressed. Written by top researchers and experts on trade SIAs, the book also provides a particularly useful background for those considering how the environment and trade interrelate at regional level, with some particular insights on climate change and trade policies.