Trade Standards Research Articles

Combustion of pellets produced from corn straw and cashew nut shell in residential and industrial scenarios: Chemical, thermal and emission analyses.

The Brazilian Northeast region has considerable agricultural potential for corn and cashew nuts production. Residues from these cultures can be densified into pellets and used as heat generators in industries and homes. In this study, corn straw pellets (CSP) and cashew nut shells pellets (CNSP) were handmade, together with a variation using glycerol as a binder (CSGP and CNSGP). All pellets were subjected to chemical, thermal and exhaust gas analyses of their combustion. All analyses were based on two different scenarios: (i) the use of CSP and CSGP for energy supply in residential use and (ii) the use of CNSP and CNSGP for energy supply in industrial use. All pellets were subjected to chemical, thermal and exhaust gas analyses of their combustion. Chemical analysis involved the study of various fuel properties, comprehending moisture content (%U), bulk density (kg m-3), volatile materials (%V), ash content (%C) and fixed carbon (%FC), and all evaluated pellets met two or more international trading standards. The combustion process analyses in the residential scenario showed higher average temperatures and lower carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations obtained during CSP combustion than those of CSGP, and in the industrial scenario showed average similar temperatures and lower CO and NOx concentrations obtained during CNSP combustion than those of CNSGP. Ours results demonstrate the great potential of corn straw and cashew nut shells as crops to be integrated into the biomass supply chain for energy generation and agro-ecological development.

Analysis of the Impact of CPTPP Membership on the Korean Economy

Purpose - As of 2022, Korea’s dependence on trade was 75%. Korea must join the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in order to keep pace with US-led trade standards in the future. This paper empirically investigated the impacts of Korea’s participation in the CPTPP on the economy. Design/Methodology/Approach - Using the World Input-Output Database and regression analysis, Korea’s CPTPP membership expands trade with 11 countries, including Japan, contributing greatly to the growth of the Korean economy. Findings - Our main findings can be summarized as follows. In 2022, exports and imports to Japan were $30.6 billion and $54.7 billion, respectively. If Korea joins the CPTPP, the economic effect will increase GDP by about 1.7% every year, and is expected to be more than $40.3 billion in 2025. The CPTPP has a great impact on the Korean economy by expanding trade with 11 countries, including Japan. Although Korea already has FTAs with 9 TPP member countries, it has been found that Korea’s GDP expands through additional tariff and non-tariff trade expansion by joining the CPTPP. Research Implications - Existing studies focus on the benefits of Korea on joining the CPTPP. This paper attempts to firstly evaluate the impact of joining the TPP on the Korean economy via analysis of the World Input-Output Database (WIOD).

Technologies and Data Analytics to Manage Grain Quality On-Farm—A Review

Grains intended for human consumption or feedstock are typically high-value commodities that are marketed based on either their visual characteristics or compositional properties. The combination of visual traits, chemical composition and contaminants is generally referred to as grain quality. Currently, the market value of grain is quantified at the point of receival, using trading standards defined in terms of visual criteria of the bulk grain and chemical constituency. The risk for the grower is that grain prices can fluctuate throughout the year depending on world production, quality variation and market needs. The assessment of grain quality and market value on-farm, rather than post-farm gate, may identify high- and low-quality grain and inform a fair price for growers. The economic benefits include delivering grain that meets specifications maximizing the aggregate price, increasing traceability across the supply chain from grower to consumer and identifying greater suitability of differentiated products for high-value niche markets, such as high protein product ideal for plant-based proteins. This review focuses on developments that quantify grain quality with a range of spectral sensors in an on-farm setting. If the application of sensor technologies were expanded and adopted on-farm, growers could identify the impact and manage the harvesting operation to meet a range of quality targets and provide an economic advantage to the farming enterprise.

Can Ethical Certification Prevent Food Fraud?

Ethical, sustainable, social and environmental certification organisations exist as a means to ensure various trade standards are met; protect and empower small-scale producers in developing countries; and enable consumers to use their purchasing power to effect positive change. Consumers who trust in these labels accordingly pay a premium for it, though as is the case with all food, crime may infiltrate the supply chain and undermine the value of the certification label. Research shows that crimes such as modern slavery and child labour, use of banned pesticides, corruption, and food mislabelling have all been linked to certified foods – and regulation and traditional enforcement over these crimes may be limited or absent. The existence of these crimes undermines the certification process, purpose, validity and legitimacy and may render the label fraudulent. However, standards set by certification organisations operate as a form of regulation, despite being universally inconsistent and voluntary. Implicit or explicit tolerance for these crimes also denies injury committed against the consumer. As such, from the perspective of food fraud, this research suggests that through their standards setting, certification organisations may provide a layer of regulation and enforcement, contributing to the prevention of food fraud for certified ethically labelled food.

Untapping the role of trade facilitation indicators, logistics and information technology in export expansion and diversification

An efficient and consistent logistics network, as well as a transparent facilitation mechanism of cross-border trade, are critical to the country's export competitiveness. The quality of logistics services has been identified as an important determinant of international trade. We use gravity models to assess the impact of the World Bank's Logistic Performance Index (LPI) on Pakistan's exports. The findings show that improving logistics is critical for increasing exports. Individual indicators such as reasonably priced shipments, the ability to track and trace shipments, and trade and logistical transit standards are instrumental in boosting export flows.

A retrospective evaluation of the intellectual structure of private agricultural and food standards research in global trade

PurposeThe aim of this article was to present a retrospective assessment of the intellectual structure of private agricultural and food standards research in global trade. This study was motivated by the increasing role of standards and certifications in governing global agricultural and food trade.Design/methodology/approachThe current investigation was carried out with bibliometric methods using VOSviewer software. Techniques such as citation, co-citation, keyword co-occurrence, keyword evolution and co-authorship analyses were performed to tackle the research questions. Articles were extracted from Scopus database for the period 1998–2022 (30th August 2022) with selected keywords (“Private food standard*” OR “food standard*” OR “agri-food standard*” AND “agri*” OR “agro*” OR “farm*” OR “food*” AND “international trade” OR “global trade” OR “international business”) along certain filters (subject – Economics and Business management: language – English: Document – article and review articles and source – journals).FindingsThe results show that the intellectual structure of private agricultural and food standards research in global trade has evolved around five clusters, namely: (1) the political economy of food standards, (2) food standards and their challenges in global trade, (3) food standards and integration into value chains, (4) food standards and market access and (5) food standards and exports from developing countries. However, the authors found the research gaps in each of the thematic clusters.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this study is that the authors focused their attention on certain aspects of bibliometric review, such as the intellectual structure of the field, the citation analysis and the collaboration network. Future research could attempt to explore new field development through bibliographic coupling and deepening of conceptual structure using content analysis by incorporating the research methods used in the respective studies.Practical implicationsThe emerging research areas in private agricultural and food standards in global trade are related to topics on food quality, sustainable development, genetically modified organisms, World Trade Organization, tariff structure, trade agreements, food industry and European Union. However, there is less research and little collaboration between Africa and developed countries. For example, Africa's total publications were (15), while the US had (46), China (15), Belgium (23), Germany (27), Italy (32) and the UK (24).Originality/valueThere are limited studies that have conducted a retrospective evaluation of the intellectual structure of private agricultural and food standards research in the global trade using bibliometric analysis. The present investigation is novel in identifying the thematic research clusters, emerging issues and future research directions. This is more important to developing countries as their agricultural produce face challenges to access markets of the developed world.

ВПЛИВ ЦИФРОВОЇ ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ НА КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНІСТЬ СЕКТОРА ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-КОМУНІКАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ

The article examined the development of the digital economy, we gained an understanding of its main characteristics, key factors of growth and the main directions of digital transformation in the economic sphere of organizations. These results are aimed at improving the quality, efficiency and reliability of information analysis when making management decisions aimed at increasing the innovative capacity of the digital economy and removing obstacles to its transformation. The main focus is on how the latest digital innovations and their application in other industries affect the position of the ICT sector in the market. The authors analyze how digital transformation can become a tool for increasing efficiency and competitive advantages in the field of ICT, as well as what challenges and opportunities arise in this context for representatives of the industry. The results of the study can be useful for entrepreneurs, researchers and government structures interested in the development of information and communication technologies and their role in the modern digital economy. The main findings of our research include a new concept and classification of spheres of activity and ensuring the competitiveness of the digital economy, which divides it into the digital sector and the sector where digital technologies are used. A system of indicators was created to study the development of the digital economy, which is based on international standards of ICT statistics, national accounts, investments and foreign trade. In addition, indicators based on a new classification of spheres of activity in the digital economy were introduced. It was established that the content of the elements of the digital economy can be revealed based on the results of the digital transformation of the economic activity of organizations. This system is divided into five blocks, including ICT indicators, indicators of the specific digital sector, organizations' spending on technology, digital skills of the population and indicators of company transformation. A methodology was also developed for a detailed assessment of the ICT sector, including calculation methods for determining the contribution to various aspects of the digital economy.

ЗАЩИЩЕННОСТЬ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ЭКОНОМИК ПРИ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ИНДО-ТИХООКЕАНСКОЙ СТРАТЕГИИ США ЧАСТЬ 2. ОЦЕНКА ЗАЩИЩЕННОСТИ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ЭКОНОМИК В РАМКАХ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЙ КООПЕРАЦИИ ГОСУДАРСТВ – УЧАСТНИКОВ ИНДО-ТИХООКЕАНСКОГО ПАРТНЕРСТВА

Ensuring the economic security of the state is carried out in the form of economic patronage from the government and the central bank, economic cooperation and economic confrontation with other countries of the world. The prospects for changing the level of economic security of the states of the Asia-Pacific region – participants in the Indo-Pacific Partnership (IPP) are considered. The paper considers the indicators of economic security of the states – participants of the Indo-Pacific Partnership. With the help of statistical and econometric methods, the prospects for changes in the level of economic security of the United States, Japan, India and Australia in the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Partnership are assessed. An approach to the comparative assessment of changes in the level of economic security of the ITP member states is proposed. The importance of economic cooperation and economic confrontation in the context of globalization for ensuring the economic security of the countries of East Asia is analyzed. The proposed approach to a comparative assessment of changes in the level of economic security of the ITP member states makes it possible to identify the priorities of economic cooperation and economic confrontation in modern conditions. It is concluded that the agreements within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Partnership should establish new regulations and standards for world trade, thereby giving an increase in the level of protection of the national economies of ITP participants.

ЗАЩИЩЕННОСТЬ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ЭКОНОМИК ПРИ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ИНДО-ТИХООКЕАНСКОЙ СТРАТЕГИИ США ЧАСТЬ 1. ОЦЕНКА ЗАЩИЩЕННОСТИ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ЭКОНОМИК В РАМКАХ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО ПАТРОНАТА ГОСУДАРСТВ – УЧАСТНИКОВ ИНДО-ТИХООКЕАНСКОГО ПАРТНЕРСТВА

Ensuring the economic security of the state is carried out in the form of economic patronage from the government and the central bank, economic cooperation and economic confrontation with other countries of the world. The prospects for changing the level of economic security of the states of the Asia-Pacific region – participants in the Indo-Pacific Partnership (IPP) are considered. The paper considers the indicators of economic security of the states – participants of the Indo-Pacific Partnership. With the help of statistical and econometric methods, the prospects for changes in the level of economic security of the United States, Japan, India and Australia in the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Partnership are assessed. An approach to the comparative assessment of changes in the level of economic security of the ITP member states is proposed. The importance of economic cooperation and economic confrontation in the context of globalization for ensuring the economic security of the countries of East Asia is analyzed. The proposed approach to a comparative assessment of changes in the level of economic security of the ITP member states makes it possible to identify the priorities of economic cooperation and economic confrontation in modern conditions. It is concluded that the agreements within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Partnership should establish new regulations and standards for world trade, thereby giving an increase in the level of protection of the national economies of ITP participants.

ЗАЩИЩЕННОСТЬ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ЭКОНОМИК ПРИ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ИНДО-ТИХООКЕАНСКОЙ СТРАТЕГИИ США. ЧАСТЬ 3. ОЦЕНКА ЗАЩИЩЕННОСТИ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ЭКОНОМИК В РАМКАХ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО ПРОТИВОБОРСТВА ГОСУДАРСТВ – УЧАСТНИКОВ ИНДО-ТИХООКЕАНСКОГО ПАРТНЕРСТВА

Ensuring the economic security of the state is carried out in the form of economic patronage from the government and the central bank, economic cooperation and economic confrontation with other countries of the world. The prospects for changing the level of economic security of the states of the Asia-Pacific region – participants in the Indo-Pacific Partnership (IPP) are considered. The indicators of economic security of the named states are analyzed. With the help of statistical and econometric methods, the prospects for changes in the level of economic security of the United States, Japan, India and Australia in the implementation of the Indo-Pacific Partnership are assessed. The importance of economic cooperation and economic confrontation in the context of globalization for ensuring the economic security of the countries of East Asia is analyzed. An approach to the comparative assessment of changes in the level of economic security of the ITP member states is proposed, which allows identifying the priorities of economic cooperation and economic confrontation in modern conditions. It is concluded that the agreements within the framework of the Indo-Pacific Partnership should establish new regulations and standards for world trade, thereby giving an increase in the level of protection of the national economies of ITP participants.

The Strategy and Politics of Linking Trade and Labor Standards: An Overview of Issues and Approaches

The Strategy and Politics of Linking Trade and Labor Standards: An Overview of Issues and Approaches

All that Glitters Is not Gold: An Evaluation of the Impact of Fair Trade Standards on Artisanal Gold Miners in Ghana

All that Glitters Is not Gold: An Evaluation of the Impact of Fair Trade Standards on Artisanal Gold Miners in Ghana

Halal Certification of Indonesian Cosmetics Products

This article aims to explore the impact of halal certification of Indonesian products and the interplay between halal certification, Indonesia’s economic interest and International Trade Regime. This research uses qualitative approach taking Indonesia case study by collecting secondary data from varied sources. The findings indicate that the massive awareness of halal products especially cosmetic is not solely motivated by religious motive. The halal product is not substantially driven by religiosity. In fact, to understand the meaning of halal, this paper argues that companies that trade halal product do not follow Islamic values. Further, this paper suggests that Islam does not support economic system that prioritizes a few parties, put women as an object, not environmentally friendly, or wasteful. On the contrary, it promotes an order that is not fair for all. However, this paper further argues that halal trend in Indonesia trade system is more about the rise of Islamic populism. WTO therefore, has to be cautious on accommodating halal labelling in international trade. It must be opened to the needs of Islamic countries yet it has to be aware that it may become new form of protectionism which is unfair for global trade standards.

INSTITUTIONAL PRECONDITIONS AND GENESIS OF NATURAL GAS EXCHANGE TRADING

Natural gas is one of the world's leading sources of primary energy, and gas exchanges are key players in the natural gas market, which ensure its functioning on a liberal basis. Given the current liberalization trends, exchange trading in natural gas is gaining momentum and importance in this market. The main objective of the study was to determine the institutional preconditions and the main stages of the genesis of the exchange segment of natural gas trade. The study showed that gas exchanges and gas hubs are the key institutions of natural gas exchange trading, as they ensure openness and transparency of the market. As a result of the study, the author identified the following institutional prerequisites for the creation of gas exchanges: the need to form a competitive gas market and ensure its availability to third parties, ensuring transparent pricing and setting the market price for gas, simplification of trade procedures and standardization of products, protection of the execution of agreements and limitation of risks, which is manifested in the security and reliability of supplies and increasing the energy security of the state. Identifying the stages of the evolution of natural gas exchange trading, the author distinguished gas trading on mixed commodity exchanges, gas trading on universal and specialized energy exchanges, which began to emerge slowly in the 1990s, and gas market liberalization, accompanied by a boom in the creation of gas exchanges and gas hubs. The recession of 2008-2009, the shale gas revolution, the process of decarbonization of the economy and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia have been the main catalysts for the modern transformation of the natural gas market in recent decades. The author concludes that the latter will significantly affect the natural gas market in the coming years, which will lead to a revision of European policy in this area and the struggle for energy security. This paper is an original scientific study of the evolution of natural gas exchange trading and makes a certain contribution to the study of the peculiarities of the gas market functioning.

Babies before bottom lines: A call for Australia to end exploitative marketing of commercial milk formula at home and abroad

Babies before bottom lines: A call for Australia to end exploitative marketing of commercial milk formula at home and abroad

Fields of harmony: trade standards and China’s value-added exports in global value chains

This study uses a gravity model to analyse the effects of different trade standards on China’s value-added and total exports in global value chains (G.V.C.s). The results indicate that harmonisation with international standards promotes both types of exports in China. Hence, the country should not neglect the implementation of standards. Mandatory standards have a greater impact on exports than voluntary standards. In addition, mandatory internationally harmonised standards have a greater trade promotion effect on total exports than on value-added exports. Voluntary country-specific standards have a greater trade inhibiting effect on value-added exports than on total exports. Voluntary internationally harmonised standards do not show statistically significant impacts on either export type. Therefore, emerging economies should optimise the scale and structure of standards, ensure their implementation, and improve their international harmonisation to promote exports and reap the benefits of joining G.V.C.s.

Russia Attacks and the International Order Strikes Back

Abstract Russia’s invasion of Ukraine violated international norms more than many thought imaginable in the year 2022, but the global effort to aid Kyiv has also exceeded expectations. Where does this leave the international order? In terms of peace and security, the order is not destroyed but fractured; global political economics are not de-coupled but more disjointed; and non-traditional security cooperation may be increasing but supply is falling further behind demand. Defeating Russian aggression is only the beginning of an uncertain order rebuilding project involving efforts at more coordinated trade standards, principled engagement with China, and institutionalized cooperation on transnational threats, including climate change.

Significance of Ethical and Moral Standards in Trade and Business

Sustainable economic growth is not only the ultimate goal of business corporations but also the primary target of a local government and regional and global economies. One of the cornerstones of sustainable economic growth is ethics. Ethical leaders and employees have great potential to influence decisions and behaviors that lead to sustainability positively. Ethical behavior, therefore, is expected of everyone in the modern workplace. This paper argues that ethics in the business is the most important sector in leading to profits and success. An organization needs to be driven by strong ethical values, not only profit.

Voluntary consensus based geospatial data standards for the global illegal trade in wild fauna and flora

We have more data about wildlife trafficking than ever before, but it remains underutilized for decision-making. Central to effective wildlife trafficking interventions is collection, aggregation, and analysis of data across a range of source, transit, and destination geographies. Many data are geospatial, but these data cannot be effectively accessed or aggregated without appropriate geospatial data standards. Our goal was to create geospatial data standards to help advance efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. We achieved our goal using voluntary, participatory, and engagement-based workshops with diverse and multisectoral stakeholders, online portals, and electronic communication with more than 100 participants on three continents. The standards support data-to-decision efforts in the field, for example indictments of key figures within wildlife trafficking, and disruption of their networks. Geospatial data standards help enable broader utilization of wildlife trafficking data across disciplines and sectors, accelerate aggregation and analysis of data across space and time, advance evidence-based decision making, and reduce wildlife trafficking.

Rolul guvernanţei în realizarea obiectivelor globale ale Organizației Națiunilor Unite

"Global governance brings together various actors to coordinate collective action around the world. This concept encompasses all the institutions, policies, rules, procedures and initiatives by which states and their citizens seek to bring more predictability, stability and order into their responses to transnational challenges and is largely achieved through international organisations. In fact, the goal of global governance is to provide global policies and services, in particular peace and security systems, justice and conflict mediation, functioning markets and unified standards for trade and industry. In the current international context, sustainable development is an important goal of global policy, and intergovernmental and governmental agencies as well as private sector companies have a duty to explore different approaches to how national intergovernmental and national strategies, policies and projects address issues. Global governance guidelines are formulated, implemented and evaluated to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda objectives."