ARTNeT institutional member IKMAS joined forces with the United Nations ESCAP, World Trade Institute, Oxford University and other partners to organize the ASEAN Economic Integration Forum 2017. This year's Forum is organized under the theme "Fifty years and beyond: Forging and inclusive ASEAN". The Forum will be held on 14 and 15 September 2017, at the UNCC in Bangkok to mark the 50th anniversary of its establishment.            

AEIF 2017 addresses opportunities and challenges faced by ASEAN by looking at the following considerations: engaging community, empowering women, enabling youth, positioning business, connecting ASEAN partners, embedding industrial revolution 4.0 and framing sustainable development goals with a focus on relevant research, effective policies and dynamic business. Eminent speakers and panelists are ASEAN and global leaders from community, academia, government and business committed to a successful AEC that benefits all ASEAN.

For more information and registration please visit here.

Our partner UNCTAD is organizing its first Non-Tariff Measures Week to have comprehensive and intensive discussion on this topic. The NTMs Week has a diverse programme for three days with policy discussions, recent economic research findings, the annual meeting of the Multi Agency Support Team (MAST), and a look towards voluntary sustainable standards.

For more information and registration please visit here.

Bangladesh, Cambodia and China signed the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific, a new United Nations treaty aimed at strengthening digital trade in the region on 29 August.

According to a recent ESCAP study, regional export gains for the Asia-Pacific region are estimated to reach US$250 billion annually with the full implementation of cross-border paperless trade. Even partial implementation of cross-border paperless trade could lead to an export increase of US$36 billion annually, and decrease the time required to export by as much as 44 per cent and reduce costs by up to 31 per cent.

For more information, please visit United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT) here. For the full Agreement please visit here. 

The ESCAP, in collaboration with the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran organized a capacity-building workshop on preferential trade agreements on 13-15 August 2017, Tehran. The workshop increased awareness of government officials and trade negotiators of the potential socio-economic impacts of preferential trade agreements and how they can be managed through ex-ante and ex-post adjustments, thereby enhancing the understanding of participants of how liberalisation through preferential trade agreements can lead to more inclusive and equitable trade.

For the presentations please visit here.

“Trade integration within ASEAN: The role of non-tariff measures for Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Viet Nam” resulted from a project implemented in a partnership between Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the ESCAP in collaboration with ARTNeT researchers. The project had an objective to strengthen the technical and analytical skills of officials and researchers from CLMV countries to manage use and assessment of the impact of 1) non-tariff measures, and 2) geographical indications in the context of effective response in CLMV countries in these policy areas. It is hoped that the research work carried out by the project and presented in this publication, together with the many exchanges of views between participants, will contribute to better preparation by the CLMV group in adopting an equitable framework for trade under the 2025 perspective.

As is well-known, preferential trade agreements (PTAs) represent a ‘second-best’ approach to trade liberalization and as such have the potential to divert trade and investment and in inflict economic welfare losses on member and non-member countries alike. Hence, it is essential to provide a framework of analysis for assessing PTA developments in order to provide stakeholders (government, researchers and policy analysts) with the tools necessary to analyze the development of PTAs and to make informed policy decisions. The objective of this resource book is to help develop capacity within the Asia-Pacific economies on the usage of analytical methods as a tool for provide timely and policy relevant information to the policy development process as it pertains to negotiating preferential trading agreements and more broadly.

E-Residency is an initiative from the Republic of Estonia aimed at helping entrepreneurs around the world start and manage a global business entirely online. E-Residents receive a secure, government-issued digital ID card that they can use to register a company and access business banking and other services 100% online, as well as benefit from being part of the EU Single Market.

This means entrepreneurs in developing economies, including those in the least developed countries of the Asia-Pacific region, can easily conduct business worldwide by establishing and running a global EU company fully online.

So far, more than 23,000 people from 138 countries are remotely managing 3,000 companies in Estonia.

Currently, entrepreneurs in the Asia-Pacific region can pickup their e-Residency digital ID at foreign representations in New Delhi, Tokyo, Beijing, and Singapore. The program is piloting a project with the private sector to deliver the e-Residency digital ID in Seoul, South Korea. Upon successful execution of the pilot project, they will expand their distribution network to locations across the Asia-Pacific region.

Apply for e-Residency here.

Our partner Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and Keio University will host the twelfth annual Empirical Investigations in Trade and Investment (EITI) Conference. Economists specializing in empirical economic research on issues relating to international trade and investment from North America, Europe, and Asia will present their latest research at this meeting.

The conference is open to other attendees whose papers are not on the program. There is no entry fee, but space is limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis for those not on the program.

For more information and submission details please visit here. 

Our member South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Kathmandu and National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal invite paper submissions for the Tenth South Asia Economic Summit (SAES X) to be held from 14-16 November 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Selected papers will be sponsored with travel and hotel expenses (one author per paper) for presentation in the Summit, and will also be published in an edited volume, following a peer reviews process.

For submission details please visit here.

The Philippine Journal of Development is a professional journal published by our member Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). It accepts papers that examine key issues in development and have strong relevance to policy development. As a multidisciplinary social science journal, it accepts papers in the fields of economics, political science, public administration, sociology, and other related disciplines. It considers papers that have strong policy implications on national or international concerns, particularly development issues in the Asia-Pacific region.

For the guidelines in the preparation of articles please visit here. Submissions and inquiries may be sent to PJD@mail.pids.gov.ph

Digital technology has been defining transformational force of human society; and digital innovations are engines of great prosperity. Supported by the new tools and media, information becomes a new, highly-value production factor. This is going to be a key feature of the future knowledge-based economy and society. It is highlighted in both AEC Blueprint 2025 and ASCC Blueprint 2025 the importance to incorporate economic digitalization with development in ASEAN. The development of digital economy has been an integral component of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well.

Our partner ERIA is looking for proposals that address issues of e-commerce related connectivity for ASEAN and East Asian countries. Both country specific and sector specific analyses are
welcome. Studies from sub-regional/regional perspective are also welcome.

For more information please visit here. 

The Carolyn Shaw Bell Award (“Bell Award”) is given annually to an individual who has furthered the status of #women in the #economics profession, through example, achievements, increasing our understanding of how women can advance in the economics profession, or mentoring others.

For the nomination detail please visit here.

Our member Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD) is currently open an opportunity for Visiting Intern/Researcher. The Visiting Intern/Researcher will be responsible for initiating and supporting the deployment of a structured, coordinated, efficient and effective approach to sharing information with internal and external stakeholders including policy makers, donor organizations, fellow researchers and the general public as well as support the management team with organizational development and stakeholder management.

For more information please visit here. 

Trade facilitation increases trade flows, lowers trade cost, and ultimately contributes to sustainable and inclusive growth. This publication, jointly prepared by our partner Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, reviews the state of play of trade facilitation and paperless trade in Asia and the Pacific. It investigates the evolution of trade costs in the region, examines trade facilitation and paperless trade implementation, and highlights the key initiatives and efforts in Central Asia, the Greater Mekong Subregion, South Asia, and the Pacific. It includes impact assessments of trade facilitation implementation and corridor performance on reducing trade costs and increasing trade.

For the full report please visit here. 

E-commerce is the new buzz world in the international trade arena. It is widely discussed at various international organizations and multilateral forums, be it WTO, G-20 or OECD. E-commerce is also a part of new age agreements such as Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. These agreements also contain disciplines very much similar to what is being proposed in the US non-paper.

Government of India has recently started a number of programmes that explicitly or implicitly have digital elements. The proposed e-commerce disciplines are likely to affect these digital initiatives in two ways. First, the proposed e-commerce disciplines would prohibit the Government and curtail the flexibilities to implement the existing policies. Second, these disciplines may adversely affect the future potential and outcome of Government’s initiatives by limiting the market structure, technology choice and development of domestic capacities. As the digital economy of India is in an evolving state, the government requires flexibility and policy space to tailor these constituent policies to cater to the needs of an emerging economy. The proposed disciplines on e-commerce at the WTO would reduce/eliminate this policy space.

Even without multilateral rules, global e-commerce market, including cross-border ecommerce, has shown impressive growth and will continue to grow at a faster pace in the coming few years. There is little in the proposals on e-commerce at the WTO, which could impart significant additional momentum to an already dynamic market. On the contrary, the proposed disciplines may adversely affect the growth of domestic industry by creating multinational oligarchs in the virtual world.

For the full paper by Pralok Gupta from our member CWS please visit here. 

This report explores the ways cities in the region are supporting partnerships for sustainable development. It documents the state of urban systems and the lessons gained from the development of cities and urban corridors using case studies. The 14 case studies assess economic, physical development, social and environmental management, and urban governance systems. The case studies include secondary cities, metropolitan regions, and regional economic trade development corridors.

For the full report please visit here. 

School of Economics, University of Adelaide (link)

Monetary Policy, Target Inflation and the Great Moderation: An Empirical Investigation

Research Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)

Developing a Logistics Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism The Next Step in Trade Facilitation Reforms

Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)

Understanding the Principles Underlying the Philippine Competition Law

Evaluation of Fiscal Incentives in the Philippines

Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)

How Government Funds help to reduce poverty? A case study of CIF & BISP in Sindh

Policy Briefs for Sustainable Development in Pakistan

Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP)

The Impact of Population Aging on Financial Market Structures and Policy Implications

China's Economic Ties with Southeast Asia

Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS)

ASEANFocus

Asia Development Bank (ADB)

Solutions for SMEs’ difficulties in accessing finance: Asian experiences

How can environmental regulations spur international trade? The case of the EU Performance of Buildings Directive and Lessons for Asia

The Impact of Trade and Technology on Skills in Viet Nam

The Trade Finance Program and Its Role in Lifting Impediments to Trade

Public Equity Markets and Innovation

Foreign Direct Investment Spillovers and Pharmaceutical Innovation: The Role of Intellectual Property Rights

Trade and Transport Facilitation Monitoring Mechanism: Baseline Study in Bhutan

Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2017

2017 Trade Finance Gaps, Growth, and Jobs Survey

Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)

Current Status and Traits of the Auto Parts Industry in Viet Nam

Oil Supply Resilience in ASEAN

ASEAN and Member States: Transformation and Integration

The ASEAN Economic Community Into 2025 and Beyond

The Indonesian Economy

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Text-as-data analysis of preferential trade agreements: Mapping the PTA landscape

The Asian Economic Integration Cooperation Agreement: Lessons for economic and social development

Fish Trade and Policy: A primer on Non-Tariff Measures

UNCTAD Annual Report 2016

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The ARTNeT Secretariat welcomes submissions of policy briefs, working papers, book reports, research reports, and book reviews by ARTNeT members, partners and collaborators. For any submission to be considered, the editorial 'Guidelines for Submissions to the ARTNeT Working Papers Series' must be adhered to.

If you are an ARTNeT member, partner or collaborator and would like to publicise your publications, research or events in the next newsletter, please e-mail us at artnetontrade@un.org.