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The Global Enabling Trade Report 2014

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The Global Enabling Trade Report 2014

World Economic Forum,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Certain countries excel at facilitating trade. Here’s what the rest of the world can do to catch up.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Comprehensive
  • Analytical
  • Innovative

Recommendation

The World Economic Forum’s biennial report on global trade offers a much-needed benchmark for gauging regional and national progress in improving the various factors that facilitate trade. Editors Margareta Drzeniek Hanouz, Thierry Geiger and Sean Doherty highlight areas that authorities should focus on to bring about a list of commerce-boosting improvements. Their analysis is so stuffed full of facts and figures that, while it can be overwhelming to absorb, it serves as an essential reference guide on global trade. This level of information can provide businesses with a great starting place for assessing the advantages and disadvantages of almost any regional target market. getAbstract considers this report an essential addition to the ongoing global trade discussion among government and corporate leaders.

Summary

Assessing Global Trade

After several years of negotiations, the 159 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) finally agreed on and adopted the “Bali Package” in December 2013. This accord introduces measures to liberalize and facilitate trade, particularly in underdeveloped countries with a view toward stimulating commerce that will lead to increased consistency in their food supplies. The Bali Package moves these critical issues back on to international policy makers’ agendas after many years of apathy.

Researchers at the World Economic Forum (WEF) have gauged nations’ progress on the WTO measures that build on the momentum created by the Bali consensus. The WEF’s assessment mechanism, the Enabling Trade Index (ETI), measures a variety of trade criteria in four areas: “market access” and tariff regimes, “border administration” and control, transportation and communication infrastructure, as well as the “operating environment” that affects a nation’s imports and exports. In total, the index tallies a variety of indicators in 138 countries that make up almost 99% of global GDP and conduct more than 98% of global merchandise trade. The data that fuel the index derive...

About the Authors

Margareta Drzeniek Hanouz, Thierry Geiger and Sean Doherty work for the World Economic Forum, an independent global organization that engages leaders across business, politics, academia and society in efforts to improve the state of the world.

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