Development Policies

Analytical Note, May 2006

Operationalizing the concept of policy space in the UNCTAD XI mid-term review context.

This South Centre Analytical Note provides a brief historical overview of the development of the concept of “policy space” for development in international forums and tries to suggest ways on how, in the context of the UNCTAD XI Mid-Term Review process, (more…)

Analytical Note, May 2006

Enhancing positive corporate contributions to development: making corporate responsibility for development operational in the UNCTAD XI MTR context.

This paper is intended to provide readers with a brief overview of the current state of play (as of late March 2004) of the pre-conference negotiations, and then goes on to describe, paragraph by paragraph, the differences in negotiating positions among various countries. (more…)

Analytical Note, April 2006

Elements for the Architecture of Aid for Trade.

The underlying message of this paper is that aid for trade is important to mitigate trade-induced adjustment costs and to bolster supply-side capacity in developing countries. However, aid is only second-best to balanced, fair and equitable trading rules. (more…)

Research Paper 5, March 2006

Rethinking policy options for Export Earnings.

Although the structure of International Trade has changed significantly in favour of manufactures, primary commodities remain extremely important for several developing as well as Least Developed Countries. A large number are still dependent on a limited basket of primary commodities for their exports.

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Analytical Note, November 2005

Problems and Policy Challenges faced by Commodity-Dependent Developing Countries.

This note  presents the commodity problems and their implications for Commodity Dependent Developing Countries (CDDCs); (ii) identifies the underlying causes of these problems and (iii) examines some of the major policy approaches used in the past to deal with them, their merits and limitations. (more…)

Analytical Note, October 2005

Changing Gears on Global Economic Policymaking Coherence: Policy Choices, Flexibility and Diversity in Development Strategies.

This TRADE Analysis provides a brief overview of the “Coherence” agenda in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and tries to inject a new perspective on how such agenda can be made to serve the development goals and interests of developing countries. (more…)

Analytical Note, August 2005

Policy Challenges for Developing Countries in Large Scale Mining.

Many developing countries are rich in natural resources and in particular mineral commodities. (more…)

Special Commissioned Paper for the 19th G-24 Technical Group Meeting, August 2004

The World Development Report 2005: An Unbalanced Message on Investment Liberalization.

The principal message of the World Development Report 2005 of the World Bank to  the developing countries is that they should adopt liberal policies related to foreign  investment to spur economic growth and development, and that the development of  binding multilateral rules relating to foreign investment would create a favorable  climate for foreign investment in developing countries. (more…)

Analytical Note, July 2004

The UNCTAD XI Sao Paulo Consensus: Defining UNCTAD’s Mandate.

This analytical note has been prepared in order to give a concise overview of the salient points of the Sao Paulo Consensus of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at its Eleventh Session. (more…)

Analytical Note, May 2004

The UNCTAD XI: Comments on the 13 May 2004 Draft Negotiated Text.

This paper is intended as a follow-up to the South Centre’s informal paper entitled “The UNCTAD XI: Defining UNCTAD’s Future Mandate” in which readers were provided with a brief overview of the current state of play (as of late March 2004) of the pre-conference negotiations, and then a paragraph by paragraph description of the differences in negotiating positions among various countries. (more…)

Analytical Note, March 2004

The UNCTAD XI: Defining UNCTAD’s Future Mandate.

This paper is intended to provide readers with a brief overview of the current state of play (as of late March 2004) of the pre-conference negotiations, and then goes on to describe, paragraph by paragraph, the differences in negotiating positions among various countries. (more…)

Analytical Note, July 2003

Technical Assistance in the Area of Trade and Investment.

The Doha Ministerial Declaration (DMD) confirms the understanding among members that adequate, demand driven and recipient-controlled technical cooperation and capacity building constitute a core element of the development dimension of the multilateral trading system. (more…)