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Tariff DatabaseAuthor(s)
We survey the recent literature on the economic implications of strengthening intellectual property rights in developing countries. First, we identify the theoretical concepts and empirical methods that are frequently applied to this topic. Then we discuss ten specific economic studies that have addressed this topic in the last ten years. Finally, we identify the most common findings in the literature.
Author(s)
This article discusses the importance of trade secrets to small and large firms in many industry sectors. It also highlights their centrality in domestic and international policymaking. Given the practical and policy importance of trade secrets, the article describes gaps in the literature on the effects of trade secret protection on innovation, trade, and investment that warrant research attention.
Author(s)
On June 1, 2016, the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) moderated a roundtable discussion on the importance of trade secret protection and enforcement, and the challenges of trade secret misappropriation, particularly overseas. Participants, including representatives from government, industry, trade associations, think tanks, and academia, shared their viewpoints and knowledge about the subject.
Author(s)
As the 55 African countries of the African Union (AU) move towards greater integration of trade policies through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), one area of noted trade policy divergence is the governance of digital trade. In particular, African nations’ rules governing the protection of personal data are a patchwork, with some countries offering little to no protection policy while others have extensive digital governance frameworks. Given that internet connectivity, broadband access, and digital trade have coincided with broader economic development, the extent to which African nations form policies governing the digital landscape can also shape development across the whole continent. This paper explores how personal data are currently governed among AU member states, noting common trends and areas of divergence. It also takes a closer look at the data protection policies of Egypt, Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, and Rwanda.
Author(s)
The most remarkable economic phenomenon of the past 30 years may be China’s “growth miracle.” According to the World Bank (2003), the average growth rates for Chinese gross domestic product (GDP) during the 1980s and the 1990s were 10.1 percent and 11.2 percent, respectively, making China one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The abandonment of centralized planning and the establishment of market institutions, as well as the market opening to foreign investment, have been credited as keys to the success of this growth. However, China’s economic miracle is often attributed to relative abundance of inputs such as labor and natural resources, and not to Chinese innovation. Is this true? What about the innovative performance of China’s domestic enterprises, in comparison with their competitors from abroad? In this paper, the question is explored using Chinese and U.S. patent data to estimate the innovative performance of firms.
Author(s)
This paper compares and contrasts how innovation—the successful introduction of new products, services, or techniques—is occurring in biotechnology seeds in China and India. We begin with an overview of the agricultural challenges faced by China and India and the substantial investments that both countries are making in agricultural research and development (R&D) and biotechnology to address these challenges. We next describe each country’s approach to three factors identified by industry as important to innovation in biotech seeds: market access, intellectual property (IP) protection, and efficient regulatory review processes. We find substantial problems in all three areas including limited market access for foreign firms in China and significant price caps in India; limitations and gaps in IP protection and enforcement; and lengthy delays in regulatory review. We conclude with a case study highlighting how the three factors shaped the introduction and adoption of the first widely commercialized biotech crop in China and India, Bt cotton.
Author(s)
During the last decade, online gambling grew in popularity while complex and overlapping gambling laws in the United States left its legal status ambiguous. The United States’ efforts to prosecute foreign-based suppliers of online gambling services prompted Antigua to file a complaint in the WTO, in which it claimed that the United States had violated its GATS commitment to free trade in recreational services. The WTO ultimately ruled in favor of Antigua and awarded Antigua the right to suspend $21 million annually in intellectual property rights held by U.S. firms. This dispute exemplifies the potential for market access commitments to have unexpected and undesirable consequences. The potential for suspending intellectual property rights as a retaliatory measure may increase the leverage of small countries in trade disputes with large countries, but the implementation and management of such a suspension may be difficult and costly.
Author(s)
This article seeks to explain the limited level of high-tech semiconductor production by foreign investors in China. First, the article briefly summarizes the evolution and current state of China’s policy efforts to promote foreign investment in its semiconductor industry. Second, the article shows that foreign front-end semiconductor production in China remains relatively small, despite the lure of the government’s promotional policies and the fact that China is the world’s largest market. The article concludes by identifying two major factors discouraging foreign front-end semiconductor production in China: (1) China’s uncertain business environment for front-end semiconductor production, punctuated by lax intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement; and (2) restrictive investment and export control policies by foreign governments.
