In Agriculture, Price Stabilisation and Trade Rules, Irene Musselli offers a comprehensive doctrinal and historical analysis of stabilisation tools and approaches in agriculture. Using her extensive practical experience in the field, she takes up the interface of the tools discussed with trade rules and offers the first comprehensive analysis of WTO rules from the perspective of stabilisation policies. This volume offers a fresh look at the tool box of managed trade in agricultural commodities and develops new and refined solutions that take into account the legal role of equity and of graduation. Musselli offers new insights and is able to invigorate a debate caught in overly ideological entanglements between market oriented and interventionist schools.
Irene Musselli, Ph.D. (2016), University of Bern, is senior researcher at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern. Before joining the CDE, she was programme officer at UNCTAD, where she worked extensively on strategies and policies to respond to the challenges of commodity markets, with a particular focus on agriculture.
Series Editor ForewordPrefaceList of Abbreviations 1 Introduction â1.1âScoping the Research â1.2âAgricultural Price Stabilisation: Why Does it Matter ââ1.2.1âThe Inherent Volatility of Agricultural Commodity Prices ââ1.2.2âSocio-economic Costs of Agricultural Price Volatility in Poor Countries ââ1.2.3âThe Need for Regulatory Responses â1.3âResearch Design and Method ââ1.3.1âResearch Outline ââ1.3.2âInterdisciplinary Aspects and Legal Approaches ââ1.3.3âInformation Sources â1.4âShortfalls and Reach of this Inquiry 2 Setting the Stage: Key Concepts and Issues â2.1âAgricultural Price Stabilisation: Unpacking the Notion ââ2.1.1âAgricultural Commodities ââ2.1.2âAgricultural Price Instability ââ2.1.3âAssessment â2.2âAgricultural Price Stabilisation Arrangements: An Overview ââ2.2.1âInternational Schemes ââ2.2.2âDomestic Schemes ââ2.2.3âAssessment â2.3 Agricultural Price Stabilisation and Trade Rules: Seizing the Interface ââ2.3.1âThe Regulatory Framework ââ2.3.2âInternational Schemes ââ2.3.3âDomestic Arrangements ââ2.3.4âAssessment 3 A Historical Review of Multilaterally Agreed Criteria for Action on Commodity Prices (1947â1989) â3.1âA Descriptive Account: Havana, Geneva and Nairobi ââ3.1.1âThe Havana Charter Framework ââ3.1.2âgatt Discussions (1954â1955 Review Session) ââ3.1.3âunctadâs ipc (1964â1989) â3.2âObjectives and Principles of Multilateral Action on Commodity Prices ââ3.2.1âA Textual and Contextual Reading ââ3.2.2âState Practice and Attitudes ââ3.2.3âAssessment 4 From Market Intervention to Free Trade and Back to Managed Trade? (1989â2011) â4.1âThe Market-based Interlude (1989â2007) ââ4.1.1âThe âNeoliberalâ Agenda: Trade Policy Implications ââ4.1.2âThe Extent of Policy Reform in Commodities ââ4.1.3âWhich Orientation for the wto Agreement on Agriculture? ââ4.1.4âAssessment â4.2âTowards Re-regulation? The 2007â08 and 2010â11 Commodity Crises ââ4.2.1âRecent Price Developments in Commodity Markets ââ4.2.2âTrade Rules and Commodity Prices: Trade Policy Trajectories ââ4.2.3âAssessment 5 Beyond the Impasse: Towards a New Normative Approach â5.1âThe Framework Outlined ââ5.1.1âConceptual Underpinnings and Legal Bases ââ5.1.2âNormative Goals ââ5.1.3âOperational Principles â5.2âTesting the Framework: A Reassessment of Key Trade Policy Issues in the Stabilisation Debate ââ5.2.1âPublic Food Purchases at Administered Prices ââ5.2.2âPrice Band Systems (pbs) ââ5.2.3âCommodity Marketing Boards ââ5.2.4âExport Restrictions ââ5.2.5âConcerted Price Action â5.3âImplementation Avenues ââ5.3.1âLitigation ââ5.3.2âLaw-making and Negotiations ââ5.3.3âAssessment 6 Conclusion â6.1âDomestic Stabilisation Policies â6.2âIntergovernmental Commodity Control Agreements Appendix 1: Product Coverage, Agricultural ICAsAppendix 2: Ranking of Economies by Agricultural Export DependenceAppendix 3: Major Commodity Control Arrangements, by ProductAppendix 4: CAP Developments: An OverviewAppendix 5: US Farm Bills: A SnapshotBibliographyIndex
All interested in agricultural trade rules and policy, including trade diplomats, international organisations, advocacy groups, trade scholars in academia and advanced students in international economic law.