Pure Business, Law Enforcement or Sheer Politics? The EU’s WTO Complaints against Chinese Export Restrictions on Raw Materials. EU Diplomacy Paper 06/2013

In light of the growing international competition among states and globally operating companies for limited natural resources, export restrictions on raw materials have become a popular means for governments to strive for various goals, including industrial development, natural resource conservation and environmental protection. For instance, China as a major supplier of many raw materials has been using its powerful position to both economic and political ends. The European Union (EU), alongside economic heavyweights such as the US, Japan and Mexico, launched two high-profile cases against such export restrictions by China at the WTO in 2009 and 2012. Against this background, this paper analyses the EU’s motivations in the initiation of trade disputes on export restrictions at WTO, particularly focusing on the two cases with China. It argues that the EU's WTO complaints against export restrictions on raw materials are to a large extent motivated by its economic and systemic interests rather than political interests. The EU is more likely to launch a WTO complaint, the stronger the potential and actual impact on its economy, the more ambiguous the WTO rules and the stronger the internal or external lobbying by member states or companies. This argumentation is based on the analysis of pertinent factors such as the economic impact, the ambiguity of WTO law on export restrictions and the pressure by individual member states on the EU as well as the role of joint complaints at the WTO and political considerations influencing the EU’s decision-making process.

How much did China’s WTO accession increase economic growth in resource-rich countries? CEPS Working Document No. 384, 3 October 2013

This Working Document provides an estimate of China’s impact on the growth rate of resource-rich countries since its WTO accession in December 2001. The authors’ empirical approach follows the logic of the differences-in-differences estimator. In addition to temporal variation arising from the WTO accession, which they argue was exogenous to other countries’ growth trajectories, the authors exploit spatial variation arising from differences in natural resource wealth. In this way they can compare changes in economic growth in the pre- and post-accession periods between countries that benefited from the surge in demand for industrial commodities brought about by China’s WTO accession and countries that were less able to do so. They find that that roughly one-tenth of the average annual post-accession growth in resource-rich countries was due to China’s increased appetite for commodities. The authors use this finding to inform the debate about what will happen to economic growth in resource-rich countries as China rebalances and its demand for commodities weakens.

Russia's policy in the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia. OSW Study 23/2006

The Southern Caucasus and Central Asia are priority areas for the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. Russia mainly sees its influence in both regions as an important factor determining its international stature, and as a precondition for reinforcing its position as a world power. The Caucasus and Central Asia are also important for Russia from the points of view of economy, especially because of those area's natural resource wealth, and security, as both regions generate serious potential threats to the Russian Federation, including Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, the drugs trade and illegal migration.

Sustainability, Resource Efficiency and Competitiveness. An Assessment of Resource Efficiency Policies in the European Union. Bruges European Economic Research Papers (BEER) 32/2015.

Addressing high and volatile natural resource prices, uncertain supply prospects, reindustrialization attempts and environmental damages related to resource use, resource efficiency has evolved into a highly debated proposal among academia, policy makers, firms and international financial institutions (IFIs). In 2011, the European Union (EU) declared resource efficiency as one of its seven flagship initiatives in its Europe 2020 strategy. This paper contributes to the discussions by assessing its key initiative, the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (EC 2011 571), following two streams of evaluation. In a first step, resource efficiency is linked to two theoretical frameworks regarding sustainability, (i) the sustainability triangle (consisting of economic, social and ecological dimensions) and (ii) balanced sustainability (combining weak and strong sustainability). Subsequently, both sustainability frameworks are used to assess to which degree the Roadmap follows the concept of sustainability. It can be concluded that it partially respects the sustainability triangle as well as balanced sustainability, primarily lacking a social dimension. In a second step, following Steger and Bleischwitz (2009), the impact of resource efficiency on competitiveness as advocated in the Roadmap is empirically evaluated. Using an Arellano–Bond dynamic panel data model reveals no robust impact of resource efficiency on competiveness in the EU between 2004 and 2009 – a puzzling result. Further empirical research and enhanced data availability are needed to better understand the impacts of resource efficiency on competitiveness on the macroeconomic, microeconomic and industry level. In that regard, strengthening the methodologies of resource indicators seem essential. Last but certainly not least, political will is required to achieve the transition of the EU-economy into a resource efficient future.

Institutional bases for control of nonpoint source pollution under the Clean Water Act, with emphasis on agricultural nonpoint sources /

Mode of access: Internet.

Report of the proceedings of commencement week sessions of the Alumni Association and alumni directory

The issue for 1890 does not have title page.

Proceedings at the meeting of the Alumni Association of the University of Illinois.

The issue for 1898/1899 does not have a title page.

Solid waste management systems in the rural southeast /

Mode of access: Internet.

School forests in Wisconsin : a report on the 1999 statewide survey of Wisconsin's school forest coordinators /

"PUB-FR-159 2001"--Cover.

Referendum pamphlets no.1...

no. 24. On the report of the Special Committee on Water-power Development. Feb.1,1918. -- no. 33. On the report of the Committee on Public Utilities regarding local transportation. Nov.19,1920. -- no. 43. On the report of the Special Committee on Transportation. -- no. 44. On the report of the Committee on Postal Service. Jan.7,1925. -- no. 45. On Advisory Committee's report: powers of national banks. Apr.20,1925. -- no. 46. On Advisory Committee's report: inheritance taxes, coordination of national and state taxation. Apr.20,1925. -- no. 47. On legislation regarding resale prices. --no. 48. On Advisory Committee's report on the merchant marine. Mar.12,1926. -- no. 50. On the report of the Committee on Federal Taxation. Oct.7,1927. -- no. 51. On the report of the Committee on Mississippi Flood Control. Oct.31,1927. -- no. 52. On the report of the Special Committee on Agriculture. Aug.31,1928. -- no. 53. On the report of the Special Committee on Highways and Motor Transport respecting state and local road administration. Jan.9,1929. -- no. 57. On the report of the special report of the Special Committee on National Water-power Policies. Nov.7,1930. -- no. 59. On the report of the Department Committee on Natural Resource Industries. Oct.31,1931.

Privately owned campgrounds in Wisconsin /

Cover title.

Protecting your water through a farm & home assessment /

"A Partnership program for voluntary pollution prevention; USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service; USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; US Environmental Protection Agency."--P. 1.

The Illinois Gap Analysis final report, 2006.

U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior Cooperative Agreement No. 14-48-0003-95-1090

Water rights laws in the nineteen Western States /

Includes bibliographical references.

The cost of land application of wastewater : a simulation analysis /

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