Agricultural Trade Liberalization in the WTO and Its Poverty Implications

This volume analyzes poverty implications of agricultural liberalization commitments of the WTO. The chosen micro-macro approach examines the link between international trade liberalization policies and impacts at household level. The possible outcomes of the current Doha Round for the agricultural negotiations are simulated using a general equilibrium model. Two scenarios are analyzed relating to whether or not Vietnam, as an example of an accession candidate, becomes a member of the WTO. The resulting price changes are combined with household survey data to derive income and poverty effects. Results show that households in mountainous areas of northern Vietnam are negatively affected in their poverty position by agricultural trade liberalization in the WTO if Vietnam were not a member of the WTO, however, these households gain if Vietnam accedes to the WTO. The study concludes that although trade liberalization would lead to poverty reduction effects for households in these marginalized zones, this would need to be complemented by further measures within the framework of poverty reduction programs.

Autorentext

The Author: Sabine Daude, born in 1972, received her Bachelor s degree in Business Administration from Aachen University and the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Compiègne. After working for three years with the NGO German Agro Action in Bonn and southern African countries she received her Master s degree in Agricultural Economics at Humboldt University Berlin. At the University of Hohenheim, where she did her Ph.D. in Economics, her research focused on trade liberalization and poverty reduction in developing countries, with particular emphasis on Asia and Africa.

Inhalt

Contents: Agricultural trade liberalization - WTO - General equilibrium modeling - Household data - Vietnam - Poverty implications of liberalization.