On the occasion of the Ministerial Round Table on "Lowering Hurdles for Trade: Trade Costs, Regulatory Convergence and Regional Integration" held at UNCTAD 15 on Tuesday 19 July, the Trade Analysis Branch in the Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities in close collaboration with UNCTAD Virtual Institute have just released an on-line non-technical introductory module on the economic analysis of non-tariff measures.
The module aims to provide practitioners involved in trade policy making with basic knowledge about major concepts and methodologies used to assess the impact of NTMs on trade. Particular attention is devoted to the computation of so-called Ad Valorem Equivalents of NTMs. The course is available at UNCTAD Virtual Institute.
This module is a spinoff of a tutored online course on the economic analysis of non-tariff measures and their empirical assessment, the first edition of which will be held from October 10, 2016 to December 4, 2016. Developed for researchers from universities, research centres, and governmental and non-governmental institutions in developing and transition countries, the course aims at providing participants with the empirical tools needed to assess the impact of NTMs on trade and welfare. A hands-on technical course, the emphasis will be on the manipulation of data and the use of econometric tools. The deadline for applications is September 2.
All details of the course are available at Virtual Institute Online Course on Economic Analysis of Non-Tariff Measures.
Non-tariff measures (NTMs), including regulations such as product quality and safety requirements, have been playing an increasing role in international trade because of the reduction in tariffs, and growing consumer concerns about food safety and quality, and environmental protection. NTMs can be diverse, and may target very different objectives. NTMs act through multiple channels of influence, and have multiple effects not only on trade but also on welfare and income distribution. They can also have an impact on market structures because they can segment markets and generate market power. NTMs are complex instruments, and the analysis of their effect is becoming increasingly difficult.
