First Published in 2004. The economic impact of barriers to world trade and investment in services has been thought impossible to measure. As a consequence, significant global policy initiatives such as the General Agreement on Trade in Services have been concluded in an information void. This book challenges the view that impediments to services trade cannot be quantified, detailing how these barriers can be measured and their significance estimated. The book contains studies measuring impediments to trade and investment in a variety of sectors, including telecommunications, finance, shipping, education and air transport. The authors explain how the measures were calculated and show how the results could be used in sophisticated economic models. The final part of the book looks at current issues in services negotiations in the World Trade Organisation and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. The measurements and methods detailed in this work have clear relevance to policymaking on services liberalisation and could be used by both international and regional organisations in services negotiations. This work will consequently prove to be an extremely valuable addition to the literature of the field.

About the Author
Christopher Findlay took up the position of Professor of Economics in the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Management at The Australian National University in October 1999. Prior to that he was Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Adelaide. His research is mainly on Australia's trade with Asia, particularly in the services sector. Tony Warren is a principal consultant with the Network Economics Consulting Group in Canberra, where he provides economic and regulatory advice on trade practices issues to a range of transport and telecommunications companies in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Dr Warren is also Visiting Fellow in the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Management at The Australian National University. His current research includes an international comparison of the impact of regulation on telecommunications pricing; and an analysis of the interaction of trade and competition policies in relation to service industries.

Reviews

'...this book sheds fresh light on the costs imposed by barriers to trade in a range of service sectors...provides a useful platform on which other research can build.' Duncan McKenzie, International Financial Services, London (IFSL) in The Business Economist [Volume 33 No 1 2002]

Book Information
ISBN 9780415240901
Author Christopher Findlay
Format Hardback
Page Count 416
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 793g