Page 207 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 207 of 229 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
198
experienced with multilateral negotiations, the popularity of RTAs offers further
evidence of the commitment to specialization and trade.
Empirical analysis identifies the determinants of demand and supply
influencing the variation in duration to adopt an initial RTA following the US policy
reversal. Region emerges as an influential variable however; this is an unsatisfying
result because it leaves no room for policy prescriptions given the immobility of
states.
A specific interpretation of the region finding supports the assertion that the
increase in RTAs reflects the introduction of innovation RTAs that meet the unique
preferences of states. In a manner consistent with Griliches (1957), the adoption of
an innovation is influenced by supply and demand. In particular, variations in
demand influence the willingness and ability of producers to develop innovative
RTAs. Griliches examines the diffusion of hybrid corn and finds that the innovation
is not the initial hybrid corn but rather the innovation is the process of continuous
innovation required to develop hybrid corn that meets the unique demands of the
market. Application of this interpretation suggests that the variation in duration to
adopt the RTA trade policy is a matter of an appropriate RTA existing to meet the
unique needs of participants.
Chisik (2007) identifies the potential source of new RTAs as an unintended
consequence of the adoption of the Enabling Clause by the GATT in 1979. The
Enabling Clause was intended to increase the involvement of developing countries in
international trade by eliminating the strict requirements associated with RTA
Object Description
| Title | Riding the wave: an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the popularity of RTA notifications to the GATT/WTO |
| Author | McClough, David Andrew |
| Author email | mcclough@usc.edu; dmcclou@bgsu.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Political Economy & Public Policy |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2008-08-07 |
| Date submitted | 2008 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2008-10-18 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Katada, Saori N. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Nugent, Jeffrey B. Cartier, Carolyn |
| Abstract | The proliferation of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) notified to the GATT/WTO since the early 1980s deviates from the long-term trend and reflects participation of nearly every member of the United Nations. This dissertation seeks to explain the current wave of RTA notifications by supplementing the economic model of supply and demand with diffusion theory. Application of the supply and demand model is useful in distinguishing between changes in demand and changes insupply of RTAs. This distinction is seldom emphasized in the current literature examining RTAs. Recent applications of diffusion theory in the discipline of international relations offer a unique opportunity to include a dynamic force in the static analysis of the supply and demand model. Empirical analysis assesses the fit of the RTA diffusion pattern by comparing the RTA diffusion pattern to a cumulative standard normal distribution. The analysis indicates that the diffusion pattern of RTAs resembles the diffusion of an innovation through a social system.; The implication of this finding is that the adoption of an RTA as trade policy is not made independently of the decision by other states. Indeed, the analysis suggests interdependency between states. Further empirical analysis explores economic and political variables that may explain the decision to adopt the RTA as trade policy. The empirical analysis is unique in that survival analysis is utilized to assess the variation in duration to adopt an initial RTA since the early 1980s. A central discovery is that regional designation explains the variation in duration to adopt an initial RTA. Multiple regression analysis confirms the results generated using survival analysis and support the assertion that the proliferation of RTAs likely reflects changes in both the demand for RTAs and the supply of RTAs. This dissertation concludes by considering implications for the WTO resulting from the increase in RTA notifications. |
| Keyword | trade agreements |
| Coverage date | after 1980 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m1675 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | McClough, David Andrew |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-McClough-2338 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume32/etd-McClough-2338.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 207 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 198 experienced with multilateral negotiations, the popularity of RTAs offers further evidence of the commitment to specialization and trade. Empirical analysis identifies the determinants of demand and supply influencing the variation in duration to adopt an initial RTA following the US policy reversal. Region emerges as an influential variable however; this is an unsatisfying result because it leaves no room for policy prescriptions given the immobility of states. A specific interpretation of the region finding supports the assertion that the increase in RTAs reflects the introduction of innovation RTAs that meet the unique preferences of states. In a manner consistent with Griliches (1957), the adoption of an innovation is influenced by supply and demand. In particular, variations in demand influence the willingness and ability of producers to develop innovative RTAs. Griliches examines the diffusion of hybrid corn and finds that the innovation is not the initial hybrid corn but rather the innovation is the process of continuous innovation required to develop hybrid corn that meets the unique demands of the market. Application of this interpretation suggests that the variation in duration to adopt the RTA trade policy is a matter of an appropriate RTA existing to meet the unique needs of participants. Chisik (2007) identifies the potential source of new RTAs as an unintended consequence of the adoption of the Enabling Clause by the GATT in 1979. The Enabling Clause was intended to increase the involvement of developing countries in international trade by eliminating the strict requirements associated with RTA |
