Bridgetown, Barbados 6th – 10th July, 2009

Neoclassical economic theory asserts that, when market forces determine the prices of goods and services, resources are allocated most efficiently, economies grow faster and populations enjoy higher standards of living. It also argues that free trade helps to promote an efficient allocation of...

These musings led me to the topic “Caribbean economic development in the post Washington consensus period”. While much of the presentation will relate to the English-speaking Caribbean, and more particularly the member states of the Caribbean community, we are acutely aware that both Lewis...

The central notion of the natural trading partner hypothesis is that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be welfare enhancing for members if there is a strong level of bilateral trade complementarity among their trade structures. This paper presents an empirical examination of this issue with...

Argues that the changeover from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) to the World Trade Organization (WTO) had little effect on industrialization policies of middle-income countries.

Outlines the global structure of the textiles and clothing industry and reviews trading patterns under the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA), highlighting the impact of trade policies in the European Union and the USA. Examines the issue of labour standards as a new non-tariff barrier to trade....

Examines how the development policies used by successful late industrializers would fare under the current WTO regime.

Explores how public actors, especially in home countries, link foreign direct investment (FDI) to labour and employment issues.