Free Trade Conditions Research Articles

RICE (Oryza sativa L.) SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN MEXICO: IS IT POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE IT?

Given the significance of rice in the Mexican diet and the country’s dependence on imports to meet domestic demand, an examination of the food self-sufficiency index (SSI) for rice, which was 16.9 % in 2021, is required. The goal of this study was to examine the possibility of increasing the SSI to 66 % through crop area and yield increases, as well as to identify the most competitive regions in irrigated and rainfed agriculture under free trade conditions. A spatial equilibrium model that considered yield and potential area was obtained to analyze three scenarios that would place the SSI at 21, 46, and 66 %. The results show that to reach an SSI of 66 %, production would have to rise to 1139.7 thousand Mg, with 144.6 thousand ha of irrigated land and 18.2 thousand ha of rainfed areas, and an average yield of 7.4 and 4.2 Mg ha-1, respectively. The rice-producing states with the highest growth potential would be Nayarit, Campeche, and Michoacán, which have the potential to increase the cultivated area by more than 75 000 ha. Other regions with potential include Veracruz, Colima, and Jalisco. Due to the vulnerability of the domestic market to exogenous international changes resulting from its dependence on imports, it is recommended that the necessary measures be implemented to increase SSI for rice.

Effectiveness of trade and economic integration of asymmetric countries: Assessment methods and tools

Despite the deepening trend of neo-protectionism and the exacerbation of disproportions in national economies, trade integration remains a relevant form of collaboration among countries worldwide and a driver of their innovation and technological development. The article provides comparative analysis of a number of methods for economic-statistical and management analysis that can be used to assess the impact of the economic asymmetry of partner countries on the effectiveness of their trade and economic integration, and shows that they have both certain potential for solving the task and a number of limitations. It is substantiated that the co-integration test is a promising instrument for testing the hypothesis about the expediency of trade integration of economically asymmetric partners. The presence of co-integration between bilateral trade indicators of asymmetric countries is to mean the synchronization of their dynamics and relative changes, despite differences in absolute values. Furthermore, confirmed cointegration of bilateral trade flows between countries can be considered as an indicator of adherence to market economy principles and the conditions of free trade, as well as an indicator of the level of integration of countries into the system of international economic relations. Prospects for further research consist in testing for the presence of indicators on bilateral trade between asymmetric partners co-integration on the example of particular pairs of countries that are parties to regional trade agreements being characterized by significant differences through the pace of economic development.

Article XX of the Gatt 1994 and WTO Members: Sufficient Freedom to Define And Pursue Environmental Policy Objectives

Abstract Providing free trade conditions to all WTO Members, the GATT 1994 includes general exceptions to Article XX, which allows members to adopt trade and legislative restrictions and measures to promote values and interests and the protection of the environment. Driven by the aim of protecting the environment, various countries have been adopting a considerable number of measures to protect the environment and all human, animal and plant life and health under their jurisdiction. However, such restrictions are likely to influence the free trade regime through a clash of interests and relationships between WTO Members, which are challenged through WTO dispute settlement mechanisms. Although the WTO provides exceptions under Article XX of its free trade conditions to protect the environment via the national environmental measures of WTO Members, the justifications for such measures are challenged in meeting the requirements of Article XX.

CIS: FREE TRADE MARKET AND FOOD SECURITY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The authors in the article analyzed the CIS customs legislation, particularly the provision of tariff preferences to declarants of food and agricultural products in the conditions of free trade of the CIS countries. The authors also evaluated the impact of the market of these goods on the food security of Russia. The authors highlighted fragments of the history of creation, development of the CIS, modern relations, strategy and prospects for improvement.

Article XX of the GATT 1994 and WTO Members: sufficient freedom to define and pursue environmental policy objectives

Providing free trade conditions to all WTO Members, the GATT 1994 includes general exceptions to Article XX, which allows members to adopt trade and legislative restrictions and measures to promote values and interests and the protection of the environment. Driven by the aim of protecting the environment, various countries have been adopting a considerable number of measures to protect the environment and all human, animal and plant life and health under their jurisdiction. However, such restrictions are likely to influence the free trade regime through a clash of interests and relationships between WTO Members, which are challenged through WTO dispute settlement mechanisms. Although the WTO provides exceptions under Article XX of its free trade conditions to protect the environment via the national environmental measures of WTO Members, the justifications for such measures are challenged in meeting the requirements of Article XX.

A Quantitative Relationship Analysis of Industry Shifts and Trade Restructuring in ASEAN Based on Multiregional Computable General Equilibrium Models

This paper provides an in-depth study and analysis of the quantitative relationship between ASEAN industry transfer and nuclear trade restructuring through the multiregional computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and categorizes the ten major projects and 57 subprojects covered by the ASEAN Information Port project investment into construction, information technology, and telecommunications, according to the key directions of investment. We design and simulate the changes in production activities, trade activities, and the balance of payments behaviour of the national economy affected by the project’s investment under 10 types of investment amount scenarios and prepare the corresponding social accounting matrix (SAM). Increased trade openness increases external risks and instability of the economy and fiscal revenues. At the same time, it creates other potential problems for the country such as environmental pollution and leading to unfair competition. Under free trade conditions, some manufacturers may choose to produce inputs that are not environmentally friendly to reduce costs, thereby harming the environment. For infant industries, if the government does not provide them with short-term protection or supportive policies, these new or developing infant industries may not have strong international competitiveness and may be vulnerable to the attacks of mature industries in the world. Therefore, based on the study of the influence of tax policy on trade openness, this paper examines the impact of changes in trade openness on a country’s economic environment and takes tax revenue as an example to conduct an empirical analysis and improve the factors that need to be considered when adjusting tax policy.

The Foreign Economic Vector of Agribusiness Activity in the Western Region of Ukraine

The article is devoted to researching peculiarities and trends of foreign economic activity of agribusinesses in the Western region of Ukraine according to the terms of the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement. The authors discuss the theoretical essence of agribusiness, as a kind of entrepreneurship, and the nature of foreign economic activity of enterprises. The main conditions of free trade in agricultural products introduced by the terms of the Agreement are determined and their influence on agribusiness export-import operation dynamics in the Western economic region is analyzed. The contribution of certain regions to forming agrarian product export and import volume and structure is considered and the reasons for the considerable advantages of the Lviv region in foreign trade turnover of the Western region are elucidated. It was found that agribusiness cooperation with foreign partners is mainly realized by indirect methods through trade agency organizations or agrarian holding companies. The structure dynamics of production goods for export and import by agribusinesses was studied. Based on the results, some negative tendencies for the Ukrainian economy were noted. They include the preservation of raw exports with a high share of plant origin products and timber, and the predominance of ready-made products with high added value in the import structure. It was established that the Agreement and social political events in Ukraine changed the direction of some export-import flows of agribusiness from CIS countries towards the markets of the European Union and Asian countries. According to the scale of external trade operations with enterprises of the Western region of Ukraine, in general, and within certain trade groups, in particular, country-leaders are defined. Some positive and negative consequences of changes in the foreign economic activity vector are described. And finally, measures which will ensure an expansion and strengthening of Ukraine’s agribusiness presence on international market, are suggested.

Welfare and Trade Effects of International Environmental Agreements

We analyse the welfare effects of environmental policy arising from the formation of an international environmental agreement on the participating and non-participating countries and thus shed light on the potential incentives for a country to join such an agreement. Within a N-country Q-goods general equilibrium framework under free-trade conditions, we consider unilateral and cooperative policy settings and, within the latter, country-specific and fully harmonized policies within the agreement. A key result of the paper is the emergence of a negative relationship, arising from terms of trade effects, between the welfare changes of the participating and non-participating countries following the formation of the agreement. These however do not result in a zero sum welfare outcome for the world as a whole.

DAMPAK PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM TERHADAP PERUBAHAN TINGKAH LAKU ANAK

The results obtained in this study show that the role of Islamic education on moral formation in the Tinoka community shows that its role is very important in the formation of three aspects in the child namely: moral educator, morality as an effort to instill good human character based on the Qur'an an and as-Sunnah and instill individual education in the community and the efforts made by Islamic religious leaders in moral formation include by instilling the values ​​of Islamic teachings and motivating the community. The implication of this study is to face the globalization and free trade conditions, so quality and quantity are the main supporting things in an effort to increase the community's faith, therefore it is recommended to the government or religious leaders to intensify their formation or moral formation especially with Islamic teachings in society.

An Economic Study to Estimate the Impact of Price Policies on Rice Production and Consumption in Egypt

Rice is the staple food for most Egyptian families, where it occupies the second place in the food components of the Egyptian people, which explains the excellence of this crop with quality and abundance of production to occupy the first rank in the quantity of production, and the second rank in terms of quality, as the rice crop is one of the most important export crops For the Egyptian economy, it provides foreign exchange to contribute to the requirements of sustainable development of the state, as it is based on the largest agricultural manufacturing industries in Egypt, which is the rice industry, whose waste is one of the most important components of concentrated animal feed. Consumption of crops and food commodities in general is one of the most important indicators identified in the formulation of production, price, marketing, export and import policies for any crop or commodity.Consumption of commodity demand is also associated with many economic variables, whether national or individual. The research problem is summarized in the impact of some agricultural policies, the most important of which is the price policy adopted by the State on the production and consumption of all agricultural crops in general, and on the rice crop in particular, in addition to the fact that the farmer under economic liberalization policies is free to take production decisions according to his vision and calculations in the light of mechanisms Supply, demand and movement of prices in the markets without the intervention of the state in this subject, in addition to the conditions of free trade followed globally at the end of the last century, and the conditions required by the importing countries of this crop. Therefore, the main objective of the research is to assess the impact of price policies on rice production and consumption in Egypt. The research used two statistical methods: descriptive and quantitative statistical analysis of each of the production indicators (area, productivity and production) in addition to the consumption of rice crop in Egypt during the period (2005-2007), as well as the descriptive and quantitative analysis of both the feddan yield and the items of feddan cost of rice crop in Egypt. It also estimated the economic costs and returns to calculate the nominal and effective protection coefficients, and estimate the cost of local resources (relative advantage factor) through the use of the policy analysis matrix (PAM), and the research was based on data sources from some of the concerned parties to publish data, including the Central Agency for Lioness public statistics, and records of the Department of Statistics and the costs of published secondary datafromCentral Department of Agricultural Economics. Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of the economy, in addition to resting on some Economic studies and research, references Arab and foreign relevant research topic

Fruit self-sufficiency assessment in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fruit is one of the essential products in the proper nutrition of the population. In the conditions of free trade, due to the great economic importance of fruits and fruit products, fruit foreign trade is subject to constant monitoring and evaluation of the production and consumption conformity. The aim of this paper is to analyze the volume, dynamics and structure of fruit production and consumption in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the period 2014-2017, and point to the need for greater alignment of fruit production and consumption. Data from secondary sources were studied to determine the degree of self-sufficiency for apples, pears and plums, the three main fruit species in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methodologically, the level of self-sufficiency was calculated using formulas recommended by FAO and the Laspeyres aggregated price index. The degree of self-sufficiency in apple is between 70% and 86%, depending on the year. Pear has the lowest production but slightly higher degree of self-sufficiency compared to apple (88-96%). BiH has a surplus only in plum, in both fresh plums and plum products, which means that the degree of self-sufficiency is higher than 100% by 2-5%. Given its geographical location and climatic conditions, BiH could produce more fruit than its current production, fully meet the needs of its population, and generate a surplus in its foreign trade.

Mergers and acquisitions as an opportunity getting new competitive advantages in agro business

The article is devoted to the issues of mergers and acquisitions of agricultural enterprises of Ukraine, in order to gain new opportunities in competition. The main competitive advantages, which are additionally obtained by weak agribusiness enterprises in forming an integration association with more promising enterprises in this industry, are highlighted. Today, despite the fact that our country is very interested in increasing sales to foreign markets, especially EU markets, under free trade conditions, the question remains about increasing the competitiveness of Ukrainian enterprises and enlarging their volumes. That is why the topic of this research is relevant and has some practical significance for the further development not only of individual enterprises, but also of the agrarian sphere of the economy of Ukraine as a whole. The purpose of this article is to outline the importance of processes such as mergers and acquisitions to improve the competitive advantage of agribusiness. According to the objective, the task was to investigate the current trends in the development of agribusinesses in the context of mergers and acquisitions that have already taken place. The main methods of this study are the methods of empirical research, such as observation, comparison, measurement, as well as abstraction, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction. The results of the study have drawn conclusions on the positive impact of such processes as mergers and acquisitions on the competitiveness of agribusinesses. The value of the research. Scientific and practical significance of the work. The research is of practical value, as evidenced by the recommendations, to improve the competitive position of businesses operating in the agricultural sector by consolidating their businesses and increasing their capital through mergers with other enterprises. JEL Classification: G34, Q12.

Competition of undevelpoed countries’ economies in the conditions of free trade

Competition of undeveloped countries’ economies in the conditions of free trade is on a very low level. We are concerned by the fact that it is still decreasing and that the position of undeveloped countries in the world’s list of global competition is evidently getting worse. That’s why raising the competition on a higher level presents a prerequisite of upgrading the quality and the volume of export, and creating more favorable ambient for attracting the investments. The companies which produce for the world’s market are under large pressure of technological progress. The products are becoming obsolete rapidly, liberalization of international trade leads to stronger competition. Economy development of the open market national economies means directing each company towards production for foreign buyers. This specially refers to economies with small national market where the largest amount of production must be placed in the world’s market so satisfactory competition would be achieved by respecting the economy of the volume. Free market truly has a lot of advantages, but when it is conducted between partners which are on the same level of economy development. What countries in development need especially the ones which are the poorest, is cooperating with international institutions without imposing certain solutions so they could find their way of developing which will enable them to open their markets faster and use the advantages of joining international trade flows.

Las Aduanas Marítimas de China y el comercio sino-español, 1900-1930

The present article studies the Sino-Spanish trade between 1900 and 1930, through the annual reports of the Chinese Maritime Customs. This institution was one of the mainstays of the treaty port system, and its archives contain information about the Sino-Spanish trade and the Spanish population that lived in China, as well as their economic activities. Its function was to guarantee the conditions of free trade that China had signed with the foreign powers. However, despite the Spanish presence and the participation of this community in the custom service, the Sino-Spanish trade remained weak and with a negative balance for Spain. This article aims to explain the characteristics of the Spanish community in China and the reasons of the weakness of the Sino-Spanish trade.

The commercial impact of pig Salmonella spp. infections in border-free markets during an economic recession.

The genus Salmonella, a group of important zoonotic pathogens, is having global economic and political importance. Its main political importance results from the pathogenicity of many of its serovars for man. Serovars Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium are currently the most frequently associated to foodborne infections, but they are not the only ones. Animal food products contaminated from subclinically infected animals are a risk to consumers. In border free markets, an example is the EU, these consumers at risk are international. This is why, economic competition could use the risk of consumer infection either to restrict or promote free border trade in animals and their products. Such use of public health threats increases during economic recessions in nations economically weak to effectively enforce surveillance. In free trade conditions, those unable to pay the costs of pathogen control are unable to effectively implement agreed regulations, centrally decided, but leaving their enforcement to individual states. Free trade of animal food products depends largely on the promotion of safety, included in “quality,” when traders target foreign markets. They will overtake eventually the markets of those ineffectively implementing agreed safety regulations, if their offered prices are also attractive for recession hit consumers. Nations unable to effectively enforce safety regulations become disadvantaged partners unequally competing with producers of economically robust states when it comes to public health. Thus, surveillance and control of pathogens like Salmonella are not only quantitative. They are also political issues upon which states base national trade decisions. Hence, the quantitative calculation of costs incurring from surveillance and control of animal salmonelloses, should not only include the cost for public health protection, but also the long term international economic and political costs for an individual state. These qualitative and qualitative costs of man and animal Salmonella infections should be calculated in the light of free trade and open borders. Understandably, accurate calculation of the economic and political costs requires knowledge of the many factors influencing nationally the quality and safety of pork products and internationally free trade. Thus, how Salmonella pig infections affect commerce and public health across open borders depends on a state’s ability to accurately calculate costs for the surveillance and control of animal salmonelloses in general, and pig infections as a particular example.

Central European countries and the smooth adjustment hypothesis

This paper analyses bilateral trade between the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia as Central European Countries (CEC-3) and the 15 European member states (EU-15). The study briefly presents a modified theory of customs unions; discusses results of the measurement of vertical intra-industry trade between the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia in trade with the EU-15; and identifies other important factors that define vertical intra-industry trade between the CEC-3 and EU-15 members. The aim of this paper is to test the smooth adjustment hypothesis (SAH), which predicts that a high level of total intra-industry trade is positively related to low adjustment costs. The traditional theory of customs unions supposes that members of customs unions or other regional trading arrangements have different relative factor endowments, which— under free trade conditions—results in inter-industry specialisation. Consequently costs of adjustments are smaller in the case of more developed member countries and greater in the case of less developed member countries. The modified theory of customs unions predicts that reduced trade barriers within the union will lead countries to intraindustry specialisation, which will have important implications for the short-run costs of adjustment—namely, the costs of adjustment will be smaller for all members of the customs union irrespective of their stage of development. Although the modified version of customs unions theory assumes that the SAH is valid, this paper confirms the view of many other authors that this hypothesis is doubtful.

Dissolving the Chimera of the ‘Adam Smith Problem’

In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith set out his influential theory that societies achieve prosperity by securing the freedom of individuals to pursue their own end by the means they choose within a framework of rules of justice. In his earlier work The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith developed his thesis about the origins of our moral sentiments and the emergence of rules of justice. The socalled ‘Adam Smith Problem’ concerns the perceived inconsistency between Smith’s defence of selfinterest in the Wealth of Nations and his emphasis of sympathy as the origin of moral sentiments in the earlier work. The existence of the ‘Adam Smith Problem’ has been contested by many writers. The present author provides a number of new arguments to demonstrate the illusory nature of the problem by revisiting the key elements Smith’s moral theory. The author argues that the problem dissolves when the role of justice in providing the conditions of free trade is understood. Smith’s tirade against wealth worship is explained as part of his defence of justice and not a condemnation of wealth accumulation. According to this reading, the Theory of Moral Sentiments is a powerful statement of the moral basis of capitalism.

Protezionismo, libero scambio e commercio preferenziale: l'esperienza messicana tra il 1970 e il 2005

This paper is an analysis of trade policies in Mexico. A structural analysis of the Mexican economy's performance in three successive but different periods, regarding trade policies for the last thirty-five years, is presented. Results are confronted with expectations from various trade policies. There are two main conclusions: first, those extreme free-trade policies have not been good for economic stability, growth and employment creation in Mexico; and second, that specialization in production and trade occurs in non labour- intensive sectors in Mexico, in opposition to what is expected according to the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem, under free trade conditions. JEL Codes: D57; F43; L60; O54

Protectionism, free trade and preferential trade: the Mexican experience 1970-2005

This paper is an analysis of trade policies in Mexico. A structural analysis of theMexican economy's performance in three successive but different periods, regardingtrade policies for the last thirty-five years is presented. Results are confronted with expectations from various trade policies. There are two main conclusions: first those extreme free-trade policies have not been good for economic stability, growth and employment creation in Mexico; and second, that specialization in production andtrade occurs in non labor-intensive sectors in Mexico, in opposition to what is expected according to the Heckscher-Ohlin theorem, under free trade conditions. JEL Codes: F13, F14, O19, O24 Keywords: Free Trade, Protectionism, Trade

Lauding the Leisure Class: Symbolic Content and Conspicuous Consumption

Symbolic consumption is assessed as an evolution of previously identified conspicuous consumption, after this has undergone a “de-materialization” that is socially, as much as ecologically, driven. As Veblen observed, the shift of wealth towards new forms of physical and financial capital with industrialization compels traditional wealth-holders to redefine privilege in terms of cultural capital. Accompanying social changes enable them to do so. The limited reproducibility of items consumed for their symbolic value, and slow transmissibility of the means of symbolic consumption, force holders of new wealth to compete for status on terms set by the established leisure class. Conspicuity shifts from quantity to quality, from the appropriation of materially valued products to the appreciation of culturally valued products. This paper examines some key implications of a shift from “waste” to “taste” in conspicuous consumption for the social and natural environment, and for economic development. In particular, it explores the possibility of branded products representing the mass production of symbolic goods in high-income economies; and the brand premium's potentially beneficial consequences for global income distribution, when branded production relocates to lower-income economies in conditions of free trade.