加工食品贸易中技术性贸易壁垒的经济学分析外文翻译.doc

加工食品贸易中技术性贸易壁垒的经济学分析外文翻译 外文翻译 原文 Economics of Technical Barriers to Trade in Processed Food Products Material Source: Fiji Times Author: Satish Chand Abstract This paper presents three results regarding the impacts of technical barriers to trade TBTs, relative to tariffs, on economic efficiency and consumer welfare. First, if used appropriately ? as per SPS and TBT Agreements of the WTO ?TBTs are superior to tariffs on both counts while their abuse is detrimental to economic efficiency and welfare. Second, industry level estimates of changes in welfare from imposition of TBTs on processed food exports are biased downwards since they ignore the changes in variety resulting from such impositions. Third, TBTs may facilitate anti-competitivepractices both within as well as across national borders. Food safety standards and Australian TBTs are used to illustrate the theoretical propositions made in this paper. Paper presented at the ACIAR conference held in Delhi, 27 March 2003. Introduction Technical barriers to trade TBTs are a double-edged sword; their use in the spirit of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary SPS and TBT Agreements of the WTO are unambiguously welfare enhancing while their abuse to provide protection to domestic industry is welfare reducing. Unfortunately, the latter aspect has received most attention; TBTs, however, have a legitimate place in facilitatinginternational trade. The potential trade inhibiting effects of TBTs, encompassing both standards as per the SPS Agreement and regulations as per the TBT Agreement on manufactured exports from developing countries, are particularly large.1 The trade inhibiting effects of TBTs are well recognised. Brenton et al 2001 for example note that approximately 79 percent of intra-EU trade is potentially affected by TBTs. Such effects are the largest for manufacturing, a sector with the greatest promise for growth in exports from developing countries. Developing countries, while a