Growth,control and tensions in an open socialist economy

Persistent contradictions among growth, efficiency and equilibrium in East European countries are analysed in our theoretical model. Internal and external tensions are distinguished. Both types of tension diminish the efficiency of investment and of foreign trade, moreover, they modify macrodistributional shares. Competing growth strategies are compared achieving constant internal and/or external tensions. A simple numberical macromodel is constructed to be used in computer simulations.     

Exchange Rate Adjustment in Partially Liberalized Economy

This paper develops a model of exchange rate determination in partially liberalized post-socialist economy that operates under soft budget constraints in nontradable sectors. The model captures the factors that determine the evolution of a country's external balance during the initial phase of economic liberalization. Three types of disturbances are the center of analysis: liberalization of trade and foreign exchange regime, devaluation, and price liberalization. We show that the real exchange rate appreciation may either improve or worsen the trade balance depending on the sources of this appreciation. Thus, we argue that the real exchange rate cannot reflect true country's competitiveness unless all sectors are equally exposed to hard budget constraints. The model implications are further analyzed through the empirical evidence on the relationship between the real exchange rate and trade balance in three selected East European countries.     

实力变迁、法律传统与美欧印中贸易政策的演进

国际经济格局的深刻变化引发了美欧印中等主要贸易体贸易政策的变化.这种变化主要体现为其外贸法、外资法和出口管制法的修改,而国际习惯法和国际经济条约对这种修改的约束有限.美欧印中的代表性国际经济法理论分别为"制度管理说"、"规范承诺说"、"贸易民主论"和"责任共担论",这些理论反映了各贸易体的国际经济法传统和理念.以这些理...     

European Structural Policy: Bend or Break

This article deals with the consequences for the European Structural Policy (ESP) of the extension of the EU with countries from Central and East Europe. It argues that the allocation mechanism of financial assistance from the structural funds must be changed profoundly in order to gain a balanced system of distributing the available funds. In view of the changing Common Agricultural Policy and international trade policy in the framework of the WTO the European Structural Policy will become gradually more important. In order to compensate for the decreasing price support for agricultural products extension of structural assistance in the near future is inevitable.     

Characteristics and prospects for East Asian economic integration: a Korean perspective

In terms of economic regionalism, East Asia lags far behind other major regions. It was only recently that institutionalization of regional economic integration was started among East Asia countries. However, functional economic integration has continuously proceeded among East Asian economies even without a region-wide RTA. This paper analyzes the trends of functional economic integration both in terms of trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) among East Asian economies, and reviews recent developments of economic regionalism in East Asia. It also addresses the prospects for a region-wide FTA in East Asia and draws some policy implications for East Asian countries at this juncture of economic regionalism in East Asia.

Iterative pricing for planning foreign trade

In many industrialized countries there exist large idle production capacities. Conceivably, these might be used for increased economic aid to developing countries and for the stimulation of trade with incompletely convertible currency territories. Concurrently, a stimulation of the economic development of the industrialized countries might be achieved. In developing countries, there may be need for using available export resources in an efficient way to obtain required imports. In the Soviet sphere of influence, there is the problem of how the state foreign trade monopolies should allocate available export quantities and scarce convertible currencies, so as to obtain required import quantities. Related problems were encountered by Western boards of trade after the war in allocating import and export licences. This paper deals with the problem how to attain efficient allocations in foreign trade with the help of modern electronic computational technique. The computational system may be developed to account for inter-industry relations and industrial investments in order to achieve a high rate of economic growth.     

WTO原产地规则协议与反倾销措施

原产地规则渗透到国际贸易的很多领域,在国际贸易中的作用日益显著,已经成为各国对外贸易政策的重要组成部分。为了创造公平的贸易环境,应将反倾销等非优惠贸易措施统一纳入WTO原产地规则协议的适用范围,WTO原产地规则协议的统一和普遍适用,有利于国际和国内贸易的发展,有利于促进我国外贸法律政策的完善,所以我国制定和运用原产地规则以抵御贸易保护主义迫在眉睫。     

No More Negotiated Deals?: Settlement of Trade and Investment Disputes in East Asia

Many argue that East Asian countries have come to adopt ‘aggressivelegalism’ in trade and investment policy, in the sensethat they have come to settle their trade and investment disputesthrough the dispute settlement mechanism (DSM) of the WTO andthe other third-party procedures. Scrutiny of the dispute casesof these countries shows, however, that East Asian legalismis not so aggressive, that it varies country by country, andthat there still exists room for negotiated deals in settlingtrade and investment disputes among them. On the other hand,the recent move toward regional integration through free tradeagreements (FTAs), economic partnership agreements (EPAs), andbilateral investment treaties (BITs) in East Asia may lead tothe adoption of a more aggressive legalism in the region, inparticular in settling investment disputes, disputes relatingto intellectual property rights, and trade remedies.     

The political economy of regional integration in East Asia

A widely held consensus view claims that East Asia has been shifting recently from a market-led to an institution-based form of regional economic integration, primarily as a result of the 1997–1998 financial crisis. Next to post-crisis financial cooperation schemes under the ASEAN+3, the surge of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) involving East Asian countries is thought by some to further substantiate this claim. The objective of the paper is to question the validity of this claim. By examining the current state of play of economic cooperation, in the financial and monetary areas as well as in the trade sphere, the paper highlights the limitations of the formal regional integration movement in East Asia to date, as well as the vastly different dynamics underlying the financial and trade developments. It also explores the changing nature of intra-regional trade and investment linkages and concludes that this new form of interdependence may be instrumental in changing the trade-offs of formal regional economic schemes.     

East Meets West in Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Finance: Policy Dialogue and Differentiation on Security, the Timber Trade and ‘Alternative’ Banking

This paper compares and contrasts South East Asian and European Union countries’ perceptions of the priorities for anti money laundering (AML) and anti terrorist finance (ATF) in relation to three industries: security goods and services; the timber trade; and ‘informal’ value transfer and banking services. It might be expected that all countries would equally support each of these aspects of AML/ATF policies, without differentiating between the industries generating the proceeds. As this paper will show, however, historical experiences, contemporary political relations and patterns of trade shape countries’ approaches, resulting in distinctive enthusiasms and reservations. In a nutshell, the EU points most strongly to products and services originating in Asia as posing AML/CTF risks, and locates primary responsibility for monitoring and control as falling within Asia - a projection of risk and responsibility that is reciprocated by Asian countries. Asian countries perceive a need for tighter control of dangerous products exported by the west, for example, small arms and light weapons, and of related money laundering circuits. Asian and European policy makers increasingly articulate concerns over illegal logging and related laundering, however European importers and their governments see responsibilities for this as falling primarily within Asia. Finally, the EU (like the US) perceives high levels of laundering risk in ‘informal’ value transfer/banking services, in which Asian-run businesses have a global competitive advantage. For the future, as the international balance of trade shifts, and as Asia increases its influence in international fora including those concerned with AML/CTF, so the region’s policy preferences may be expected to carry more weight.

论违宪审查在东欧国家转型中的作用

东欧转型在法制方面的一项重要内容是普遍建立以宪法法院为审判机构的集中违宪审查制度。宪法法院通过对宪法文本中法治原则的阐释以实现国家转型的法治目标。宪法法院阐释的法治原则内容具体包括法的安定原则、分权原则、合比例原则、司法独立原则和基本权利司法救济保障原则等五项原则。     

论“与投资有关的贸易措施”

贸易与投资有着密切的关系。影响市场准入或出口竞争的贸易措施，对投资的数量、部门构成、地理分布会产生重要影响，甚至对投资流向造成扭曲。因此，从投资的角度看，对“与投资有关的贸易措施”，特别是对发达国家采取的保护主义的措施，应予调整或限制。我国也必须制定和完善有关立法，使有关的贸易措施既有利于发展对外贸易，也有利于利用外资。     

清末中英在西藏的货币之争

19世纪末20世纪初，边陲西藏已成为各帝国倾力争夺的热点，特别是英国对西藏广袤的市场觊觎已久，为打开西藏对外通商的大门，英国先后发支了两次侵藏战争，用武力攫取了对藏通商的特权，并进一步发动一场金融侵略战，在东印度公司制造了一种印度卢比大量运往西藏，以此控制西藏的金融命脉，从而独占对西藏贸易的广大市场，面对主权丧尽利权外的局面，清政府的明智人士能够正视外国货币与金融的挑战，坚决进行有力回击，不但发行四川藏元与印度卢比争夺市场，还从完善从地金融，加强对藏贸易等根本途径，驱逐印度卢比对西藏的影响和控制，维护了晚清在西藏的主权利益，这在当时历史背景下堪称世纪的进步。     

论我国贸易救济的范围和制度构建

在国际贸易自由化背景下,从事产品生产的国内产业和提供服务的国内产业,都可能受到国际贸易的损害。其中,从事产品生产的国内产业,可能因为同类进口产品的倾销、补贴或数量增加而受到损害,也可能因为其产品出口被其他国家或地区实施不正当、不合理进口限制而受到损害;提供服务的国内产业,可能因为外国服务提供者参与国内服务市场竞争而受到损害,也可能因为其服务输出遭遇其他国家或地区的服务贸易壁垒而受到损害。这些损害,都应当属于贸易救济的范围。要全方位救济国际贸易对国内产业的损害,我国不仅应当有针对进口产品的反倾销、反补贴和保障措施等进口救济制度,也应当有针对其他国家或地区不正当、不合理进口限制的出口救济制度,同时还应当建立完备的国际服务贸易救济制度。     

The Determinants of Trade Credit in Transition Countries

The paper investigates the determinants of trade credit in transition countries. Traditional theories of trade credit extension suggest that both financial and commercial motives may induce non-financial companies to assume a role of financial intermediation. Furthermore, specific conditions of financing for companies in transition countries may reserve to trade credit an important role in financial structure. We test the determinants of accounts receivable and accounts payable on a sample of about 9300 companies from nine Central and Eastern European Countries. Results suggest that both financial and commercial motives explain the credit behaviour of firms. However, we do not find generalised patterns in the use of trade credit among all transition countries.     

Between demand and supply: Bribery in international trade

The use of kickbacks and illicit payments to win foreign sales is eroding fair trade and undermining good governance around the world. While often seen as discrete acts by unscrupulous businesses, bribery in international trade is better seen as driven by push and pull forces larger than individual firms. Two hypotheses on the dynamics of transnational bribery are formulated and tested in this study. The demand-pull hypothesis views multinational corporations as victims of corruption in host countries and predicts a positive relationship between corruption in host countries and bribery by guest businesses. The supply-push hypothesis treats multinationals as proactive parties and proposes a positive relationship between pro-bribery conditions in exporting countries and the inclination of their multinationals to foreign bribery. Analysis of cross-national data yielded no support for the demand-pull hypothesis, but strong backing for the supply-push hypothesis. This finding validates the potential of effective bribery reduction through supply-side controls. Direct all correspondence to Hung-EnSung, The National Centeron Addiction and Sub-stance Abuseat Columbia University, 633 Third Avenue, 19th Floor, NewYork, NY 10017, USA.     

我国绿色壁垒的制度缺失及其危害初探

发达国家的绿色壁垒极大地限制了发展中国家的产品出口,这是近年来国际贸易中出现的一个新问题,其发展势头十分迅猛。我国入世后,它已成为我国发展对外贸易的最大障碍之一。由于各种复杂原因,目前我国绿色壁垒制度还存在着严重缺失,主要表现是绿色环境标志制度、绿色技术标准制度、绿色认证制度、绿色补贴制度、绿色卫生检疫制度及禁止污染转移等制度存在着严重缺位或尚不健全。这给我国经济发展乃至人民的健康状况造成了重大损害。如何建立和完善这一法律制度是急需探讨的课题。     

Regionalization in East Asia

Institutional regionalization has come very late to East Asia compared with Europe, but its pace has dramatically increased since the mid-1990s. Many agreements, including bilateral ones such as those signed between Japan and Singapore, or pluri-lateral ones such as those between ASEAN countries, cover an ever increasing number of countries of the East Asian region, including Japan, India, and China. We first analyze Asian integration as a de facto, spontaneous, development of trade. Trade specialization in Asia has often been described as guided by the different levels of development of the countries participating in the regional integration. It constitutes a vertical division of labor between poor countries exporting natural resources and/or labor-intensive products to developed countries exporting machinery, sophisticated parts and components, and high-tech products. This trade structure is radically different from the European horizontal division of labor (exchange of different varieties of similar goods). Then we look at the micro-economic level how Japanese firms tend to integrate Asia into their international network, with Japanese partners being used as relays for Japanese export of semi-manufactured products. Last we present a simulation with the MIRAGE model of a scenario of general regionalization in which all the regions of the world develop preferential treatment for neighboring countries. These agreements are limited to industrial products with particular attention to the automotive sector. The main results are that Asia is the main winner in such a scenario, and within Asia it is Japan and Korea that will be the main winners. In fact, because developing Asia is one of the most protected regions of the world, the impact of liberalization is also the highest. Second, Japan and Korea are best placed to profit from these regional agreements, because other developed countries are excluded from the market of developing Asia. They also have superiority in manufacturing goods whereas countries like China might have problems upscaling their industrial production. Nevertheless our model did not take into account the voluntary pace of development chosen by China and that she will use her powerful state system to avoid being locked into low-tech, low-value-added products.

欧盟最新贸易救济工具绿皮书的内容及启示

随着经济全球化进程的加快及其发展程度的深入,欧盟贸易救济工具不仅事实上损及消费者、进口商和零售商的利益,引发了贸易救济领域"公共利益保护危机",而且,贸易救济权的滥用,也使得许多已将生产基地转移至欧盟之外的本土名牌企业深受其害。最近,欧盟发布贸易救济工具绿皮书,试图化解矛盾、革新贸易救济政策,客观上也给包括我国在内的产品出口国进一步谋求公平贸易环境带来了契机,当前,理性分析并深刻领会绿皮书出台的背景、内容及其精神实质,拿出行之有效的对策,对于最大化、最优化地争取和保护我国相关企业的贸易利益意义重大。     

伊朗制裁相关法律对航运业的影响及对策

伊朗是中东地区主要的贸易国之一,也是中国在中东重要贸易伙伴之一.然而由于伊朗违反联合国有关不扩散核武器的有关公约之规定,联合国、中国两岸四地、欧盟、美国都在不同程度上通过立法对伊朗实施制裁.在研究伊朗制裁相关法律的基础上,从法律分析和实务的角度,对一些与伊朗贸易有关的实际问题加以探讨.