Jordan made substantial market access commitments as part of its WTO membership negotiations. Jordan has low average tariffs with single or two digits rate and ad valorem-only duties with some exceptions where specific duties apply. Customs standards in Jordan were streamlined in accordance with WTO rules. Jordan confirmed in its accession to the WTO that free zones or export processing zones would be fully subject to the coverage of the commitments taken in the protocol of accession. The purpose of (...) this article is to examine and analyse Jordan’s current imports and tariffs regime. (shrink)

In recent years it has often been claimed that policies such as subsidies paid to domestic producers by affluent countries and tariffs on goods produced by foreign producers in poorer countries violate important moral requirements because they do severe harm to poor people, even kill them. Such claims involve an empirical aspect—such policies are on balance very bad for the global poor—and a philosophical aspect—that the causal influence of these policies can fairly be characterized as doing severe harm and (...) killing. In this essay, we examine the philosophical aspect of this issue. We conclude that these policies do not do harm to the poor, but rather enable harm to them in various ways, and explore the moral implications of this fact. (shrink)

Customs law and procedures are important part of the trade system in Jordan. They regulate the flow of goods across the borders. The purpose of this paper is to examine Jordan's import regime by analyzing customs law, rules of origin, free trade zones, and tariffs reform.

In the case of introduction of visa-free regime between Ukraine and the European Union (EU) there will arise a problem of matching throughput capacity of the Ukrainian checkpoints to the quantity of people who would want to cross the border. The absence of need for obtaining a visa does not eliminate compulsory customs and border control, but it potentially increases the number of people who intend to cross the border. A growing number of border crossings in case of their mismatch (...) with the criteria for checkpoints are a potential non-tariff restricting barrier in international trade. A threat to the image of the country from the occurrence of such a tool of non-tariff regulation indicates relevance of present study. -/- The aim of the work was to study the dynamics of actual and potentially possible border crossings and to define directions for the optimization of procedures of such a crossing to eliminate negative impact of this non-tariff instrument of regulating international trade on the overall image of the country. -/- We analyzed the peculiarities of crossing the border between Ukraine and the EU through automobile crossing points based on quantitative data regarding crossing the Ukrainian–Polish border. The goals and structure of movement across the border by frequency are clarified. We defined criteria for increase in the discrepancy between actual and nominal throughput capacities of the Ukrainian checkpoints. -/- The scientific novelty of present research is establishing the nature of quantitative effect from restricting the crossing of border on the image of the country with the help of world rankings. -/- A practical significance of the study is to identify ways to improve a procedure for crossing the border: 1) by combining Polish and Ukrainian infrastructure of control at checkpoints; 2) by creating separate lined for crossing the border by persons without transportation vehicles; 3) by simplifying a procedure of control at the border both by checking only by border staff and by increasing the value of goods that a citizen can bring into country; 4) by financing technical equipment for crossing points and their infrastructure by introducing a targeted general tax for persons who cross the border; 5) by compiling open and regular statistics of border crossing. -/- A promising direction for further research is the economic substantiation of appropriateness of the proposed ways to improve the throughput capacities of checkpoints. (shrink)

The analysis of world exports falls has been done. The changes in the structure and dynamics of the post-crisis world trade has been identified. The analysis of methods for assessing the limitations of the world trade has been done. The main trends in transport costs and the application of non-tariff regulation of international trade instruments has been identified.

Imagine that you are a farmer living in Kenya. Though you work hard to sell your produce to foreign markets you find yourself unable to do so because affluent countries subsidize their own farmers and erect barriers to trade, like tariffs, thereby undercutting you in the marketplace. As a consequence of their actions you languish in poverty despite your very best efforts. Or, imagine that you are a peasant whose livelihood depends on working in the fields in Indonesia and (...) you are forcibly displaced from your land by a biofuels company because corrupt government officials have stolen the land and sold it to the company. Or, suppose that you work on the coast of Bangladesh but find that increasingly you are unable to cope with salination resulting from sealevel rise – a product of anthropogenic climate change. These, I believe, are cases of global injustice. My question is: What are those who bear the brunt of global injustice entitled to do to secure their, and other people’s, entitlements? Often people focus on the duties of the affluent to respect and uphold the rights of the disadvantaged. This is understandable. But there is a striking omission. Rarely do people analyze, or even mention, what those who lack their entitlements are entitled to do to secure their own rights. This is my focus in this paper. More specifically, I examine what agents are entitled to do to change the underlying social, economic and political practices and structures in a more just direction. (shrink)

The present volume is the fifth in the series of yearbooks with the title Globalistics and Globalization Studies. The subtitle of the present volume is Global Transformations and Global Future. We become more and more accustomed to think globally and to see global processes. And our future can all means be global. However, is this statement justified? Indeed, in recent years, many have begun to claim that globalization has stalled, that we are rather dealing with the process of anti-globalization. Will (...) not we find ourselves at some point again in an edifice spanning across the globe, but divided into national apartments, separated by walls of high tariffs and mutual suspicion? Of course, some setbacks are always possible, because the process of globalization cannot develop smoothly. It is a process which is itself emerging from contradictions and is shaped by a new contradiction. They often go much further than underlying systemic changes allow. They break forward, as the vanguard of a victorious army, and then often meet resistance of various social and political forces and may suddenly start to roll back just at the moment when everyone expects their further offensive. We believe that this is what is happening with globalization at present. The yearbook will be interesting to a wide range of researchers, teachers, students and all those who are concerned about global issues. (shrink)

Many people go outdoors in winter for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling and some other activities that all fall within the realm of winter tourism. Winter tourism is a source of both personal and public health, and thus a source of prosperous living. Along with that, it is a conspicuous economic phenomenon that generates millions of dollars in annual revenue for stakeholders. Hence, this type of tourism is of top importance, and thus one of the main concerns to many snowy destinations (...) with high altitudes such as those in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Turkey. Stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, business professionals, state incumbents, and tourism, leisure, and sports scholars should benefit from both precedent and unprecedented principles and practices to cultivate the industry, and they should constantly seek to improve the winter tourism experience. Therefore, it is aimed to drive implications from the success of a cult winter tourism location MooserWirt in Sankt Anton herein by depending on a web-based examination. MooserWirt is an après-ski bar located in a world-famous village and ski resort called St Anton at the Arlberg Massif in Austria. The bar is open in winter seasons starting from early December to the end of April. It serves daily between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. up to three thousand people. The bar team starts serving food and beverage at 11 a.m. Then at 3:30 p.m., the bar’s magnate –DJ starts his ritual music party that captivates and amuses hundreds if not thousands of ski-goers. MooserWirt is regarded as one of the best après ski lodges throughout the world. Many people would ask for the principles of such a success. By depending on a web-based examination of the case, we can respond to that kind of a call with a few generic implications. First of all, one of the main features that makes the bar special seems to be its music parties. People mostly comment that the bar has a music mogul –DJ, and enjoyable mixtures of music that charm the audience. Furthermore, the bar has heretofore hosted the prominent TV show known as Après Ski Hits featuring various famed singers and bands on outdoor stage performance many times to commence the season. Secondly, many people acknowledge that the bar has an eye-catching menu with delightful foods and beverages of local ingredients with a reasonable tariff. Third, we deduce that the bar serves with an agile and friendly team that satisfies the customers in general. Various people appreciate the performance of the staff. Last but not least, the bar has an elegant architectural design with a comfortable ambiance enclosed by a typical winter landscape. Overall, MooserWirt is a quality locale as it commonly meets the expectations of skiers of an après-ski lodge. In conclusion, MooserWirt has been seemingly building up a tradition through quality over the decades. It is distinctive through product differentiation. It serves with dedicated personnel adhering to quality service that generates customer satisfaction, and it uses a powerful marketing strategy that leads to having worldwide visibility and being a mind-anchored brand with preeminence. (shrink)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a multilateral trade organization that, at least partially, governs trade relations between its member states. The WTO (2011a) proclaims that its “overriding objective is to help trade flow smoothly, freely, fairly and predictably.” The WTO is a “treaty-based” organization – it has been constituted through an agreed, legally binding treaty made up of more than 30 articles, along with additional commitments by some members in specific areas. At present, 153 states are members of the (...) WTO, which collectively make up over 97 percent of all trade worldwide (WTO 2011b). Together, the WTO treaty specifies the rights and obligations of its member states. To become a member of the WTO, a state must treat the agreement as a “single undertaking.” Members cannot choose à la carte which agreements – for example, regarding tariffs, or trade in services or intellectual property – they want to accede to and which they do not. Instead, they must take on the obligations of the agreement in toto. The WTO is one of the most consequential governance institutions in the world, a lodestar of political debate about globalization (see globalization), attracting increased interest from moral and political philosophers in recent years (James 2006; Moellendorf 2005; Risse 2007; Brock 2009). (shrink)

Rules of origin (ROO) are pivotal element of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). ROO are basically established to ensure that only eligible products receive preferential tariff treatment. Taking into consideration the profound implications of ROO for enhancing trade flows and facilitating the success of regional integration, this article sheds light on the way that ROO in GAFTA are designed and implemented. Moreover, the article examines the extent to which ROO still represents an obstacle to the full implementation of (...) GAFTA. In addition, the article provides ways to overcome the most important shortcomings of ROO text in the agreement and ultimately offering possible solutions to those issues. Bashar H. Malkawi and Mohammad I. El-Shafie. (shrink)

Free trade agreements are about reducing tariffs, market access in services, protection of intellectual property rights, streamlining customs procedures, trade remedy measures, and dispute settlement mechanism. Equally important if not even more important than these provisions is the designation of rules of origin. Many benefits can be lost if restrictive rules of origin are incorporated. Rules of origin are supposed to be straightforward and easy-to-follow methods used to determine origin of imported goods. The policy question that arises is how (...) to improve trade integration among Arab countries through more effective rules of origin. (shrink)

Jordan acceded to the WTO in 1999. In its accession Jordan agreed, for example, to reduce tariffs on imported products and open its services market; it also modified its intellectual property regime. Jordan enjoyed special and differential treatment in few areas and was not able to designate olive oil as a good eligible for special safeguards. The WTO agreements required fundamental changes in the domestic laws and regulations of Jordan. The article concludes by arguing that Jordan’s accession to the (...) WTO was a lengthy and costly process. Jordan agreed to an arduous package of legal and economic reforms. Given that Jordan agreed to greater commitments compared to the obligations of the original WTO members, the multilateral trading system witnessed an accession saga. (shrink)

‘Dumping’ is a practice in international trade whereby a product is introduced into the commerce of another country at less than its ‘normal value,’ which might cause or threaten material injury to the domestic industry of the importing country. To address the practice of dumping and provide rules to deal with it, the World Trade Organization (WTO) adopted the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994), known as the Anti-Dumping Agreement (ADA). (...) -/- The ADA sets out anti-dumping investigation procedures that importing countries must follow if they wish to impose anti-dumping measures, which are determined by comparing the normal value and the export price of the goods in question. However, not all countries are treated equally under these arrangements. Countries that are non-market economies (NMEs) are accorded special treatment provided by specific rules, including the option for investigating authorities to resort to surrogate prices in a third country for the purpose of establishing normal value. This application of surrogate prices is referred to as ‘NME treatment’. In the absence of an internationally recognised definition of an NME, each WTO Member has adopted its own definition and/or a list of NMEs. Vietnam, a WTO Member whose economy is moving from being centrally planned to being market-based, is considered an NME by both the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). This research investigates whether the non-market economy status of NMEs such as Vietnam disadvantages exporters in anti-dumping investigations and proceedings. The research analyses legal, procedural and other issues relating to the non-market economy status of NMEs in general and Vietnam in particular, in anti-dumping investigations and proceedings conducted by the US and the EU. The research uses a qualitative methodology design, by which data was collected primarily using desk-based study, supplemented by interviews with anti-dumping experts, Vietnamese exporters and government officials. It involves the examination of international law pertaining to anti-dumping, the US and EU anti-dumping laws and investigation procedures, analysis of the WTO anti-dumping dispute settlement procedures and related jurisprudence, as well as the analysis of Vietnam’s transition to a market economy. -/- The research has found that both the US and EU treat Vietnam as a NME and have developed their own specific methodologies for anti-dumping investigations on exports from Vietnam. Furthermore, it highlights the wide discretion of the US and the EU under their domestic laws in many stages of anti-dumping investigations. -/- The findings also show that the WTO Dispute Settlement Body generally considers the US and the EU practices to be consistent with the ADA provisions. However, certain US and EU practices were found to be inconsistent with the ADA, including ‘zeroing’, limited examination, surrogate country selection, and the imposition of the ‘entity-wide rate.’ Further, by applying these practices, investigating authorities might establish unpredictable normal values that may inflate the estimated dumping margins and ultimately lead to the imposition of a higher than appropriate anti-dumping duty. The analysis concludes that the NME status of countries such as Vietnam disadvantages them when facing claims of dumping. Finally, this thesis provides recommendations for Vietnamese exporters that will serve to improve their competence as defendants/respondents in anti-dumping investigations and proceedings and more effectively demonstrate the degree to which their operations are based on market-based principles. Recommendations are also provided to the Vietnam Government on ways in which it can support Vietnamese exporters in anti-dumping investigations and proceedings. (shrink)