What kind of technical assistance and capacity building benefits do developing countries enjoy if they sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with developed countries? This is a frequently asked question among developing country officials involved in FTA policymaking. While we tend to normatively...

This issue paper, titled “Revisiting Regional Trade Agreements and Their Impact on Services Trade” written by Mr. Mario Marconini, is a contribution to that process. The paper exhaustively reviews services disciplines included in several Free Trade Agreements (FTA). The aim of the paper is...

The "Spaghetti Bowl" (or "Noodle Bowl") phenomenon describes the trade-distorting effects caused by the multitude of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) signed in the last three decades. As RTAs allow for a different treatment of imports from different countries, rules defining a product's country...