Researchers of subtheme 2.1 continue to be recognized for their work by the research community. In 2010, Antoine Bouet received the Allan Powell Award, for outstanding contributions to the GTAP network. In addition, Antoine was appointed to the scientific board of Economie et Statistique published by the French Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE).
The research on the WTO trade negotiations has contributed to the international debate. Concerning the ongoing negotiations of the Doha Round, David Laborde gave two presentations in Geneva at the request of the WTO secretariat for the WTO member states delegation about the evolution of the negotiations and the potential cost of a failed Doha Round. David also participated in a WTO public debate on the stakes for developing countries in the Doha Round.1 These presentations were commended by the leading trade economist Richard Baldwin.2 Subtheme 2.1 research has been widely used by the international community and leading experts. For example, the high level report led by Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati and Peter Sutherland – former GATT and WTO Director general – and requested by British Prime Minister James Cameron3 released in the World Economic Forum in Davos relies heavily (11 references out of 14) on the work carried out by Subtheme 2.1 researchers. The report concludes that ―an agreement this year would provide "an insurance policy against future protectionism" and would reinforce the WTO system.‖4; this is the exact conclusion drawn in the 2008 issue brief "The potential cost of a failed Doha Round‖ by Antoine Bouet and David Laborde.
The work on the WTO has also included a focus on domestic support rules and policies. This research has articulated the distinctions between legal obligations of WTO members and underlying economic intention of reducing trade-distorting support; it has traced the extent to which the WTO notifications have tracked and provided transparency about countries‘ policies, and has assessed the extent to which a Doha agreement would constrain domestic support among key countries given projected policies to the mid 2010s. Several sessions on this analysis were held in 2010 at the annual meetings of the UK Agricultural Economics Society, the US Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, and the International Policy Council for Food and Agricultural Trade. The contribution of the forthcoming book, WTO Disciplines on Agricultural Support (Cambridge University Press), has been endorsed by leading trade analysts and practitioners, including the former EU Commissioner of Agriculture, former director of the OECD agriculture and trade secretariat, and two former chairs of the WTO Committee on Agriculture.
The subtheme has also continued its important work on biofuels. In particular, the Program has contributed significantly to the EU biofuels debate by conducting an in-depth study for the EU‘s Renewable Energy Directive and Fuel Quality Directive. The study was conducted as part of the EU Public Consultation mechanism on indirect land use change and biofuels; it determined that, while indirect land use change has ―an important effect on the environmental sustainability of biofuels,‖ current EU renewable energy targets are small enough to safeguard the environmental sustainability of
biofuels.Access the completed report.
Subtheme 2.2: Participation inHigh-Value AgriculturalMarkets
Projects under Subtheme 2.2 have had impact at several levels. The Bhutan Agricultural and Food Policy Research and Capacity Strengthening Project contributed to the development of a new national food security action plan. In addition, the analysis and results of the project are being used by the World Bank review of the agricultural sector and its investment plans for the agricultural sector of Bhutan.
The analysis done under the Successful Smallholders Pig Producers in an Adjusting Vietnam Market project demonstrated that under a wide range of assumptions, the large-scale commercial sector would not be able to supply more than a small share of overall pork demand in Vietnam for at least 10-20 years. This has contributed to a debate about the wisdom of government plans to focus its attention on supporting the modern sector.
The Rural Services Hub project in India has identified increased investments (leverage funds) by the study firms of about US$3 million to improve agricultural value chains.
The EC-funded Cereal Availability Study (now closed) and the Gates-funded Assessment of Ethiopian Agriculture have led to the creation of a new entity called the Agricultural Transformation Agency. The new agency will be charged with the analysis of food production, food prices, and income diversification, institutionalizing some of the analysis carried out under these two projects. The
1
http://www.wto.org/library/flashvideo/video_e.htm?id=55 2
http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/6066 3
http://www.number10.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/doha-round-jan-2011.pdf 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12309484
2010 Internal Program Review-Markets, Trade and Institutions Page 3
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