Trade Liberalization and Organizational Change

We embed a simple incomplete-contracts model of organization design in a standard two-country perfectly-competitive trade model to examine how the liberalization of product and factor markets affects the ownership structure of firms.In our model, managers decide whether or not to integrate their firms, trading off the pecuniary benefits of coordinating production decisions with the private benefits of operating in their preferred ways. The price of output is a crucial determinant of this choice, since it affects the size of the pecuniary benefits. In particular, non-integration is chosen at “low” and “high” prices, while integration occurs at moderate prices. Organizational choices also depend on the terms of trade in supplier markets, which affect the division of surplus between managers. We obtain three main results. First, even when firms do not relocate across countries, the price changes triggered by liberalization of product markets can lead to significant organizational restructuring within countries. Second, the removal of barriers to factor mobility can lead to inefficient reorganization and adversely affect consumers. Third, “deep integration” — the liberalization of both product and factor markets — leads to the convergence of organizational design across countries.

Trade union internationalism and political change in Myanmar

Networks of trade union activists working as part of the global union movement have played a central role in political change in Myanmar. In response to trade union advocacy, compliance with International Labour Organization (ILO) standards was made a key condition for the lifting of sanctions on Myanmar, leading the current civilian government to pass revised labour laws allowing the formation of independent trade unions. Union activists have taken advantage of this new freedom, with a rapid growth in registration of local union organizations since 2011. Based on recent fieldwork in Myanmar, including interviews with union leaders and ILO officials, this paper presents an empirical analysis of political relationships formed by local and international union organizations in the context of multi-level political change. In this case study of translating international norms into domestic political change, local and international trade union networks are shown to have a significant impact on achieving compliance with international labour standards.

Lemkin, the law and his legacy

Today I want to look at the proceedings that led up to the adoption of the GC in the UN. The events that led to the ratification by the UN are likewise intricate, but today we’ll just focus on the adoption. So adoption is where agreement is made on the content and form of the proposed treaty, so the Article in the GG are the focus here. After adoption, the treaty is ready for signatures and ratification. But the process isn’t as simple as it sounds.

Firm-level trade creation and diversion of regional trade agreements in Thailand

Using highly detailed import data for Thailand, this paper examines firm-level trade creation and diversion of regional trade agreements (RTAs). Specifically, by focusing on firm-product pairs in which firms import a particular product from non-members but not from RTA members in the initial year of our sample, we empirically investigate the start of imports from RTA members under RTA schemes and the cessation of imports from non-members at the firm-level. We find that firms are more likely to stop importing products with low RTA tariff rates or high most-favored-nation tariff rates from non-members and to start importing such products from RTA member countries. However, from the quantitative point of view, there are very few firms that switch import sources from non-members to RTA members when facing the introduction of RTA schemes.

Mapping agricultural value chains with international input-output data

In recent years, the analysis of trade in value added has been explored by many researchers. Although they have made important contributions by developing GVC-related indices and proposing techniques for decomposing trade data, they have not yet explored the method of value chain mapping—a core element of conventional value chain analysis. This paper introduces a method of value chain mapping that uses international input-output data and reveals both upstream and downstream transactions of goods and services induced by production activities of a specific commodity or industry. This method is subsequently applied to the agricultural value chain of three Greater Mekong Sub-region countries (i.e., Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia). The results show that the agricultural value chain has been increasingly internationalized, although there is still room for obtaining benefits from GVC participation, especially in a country such as Cambodia.

Identification of Hotspots in the European Union for the Introduction of Four Zoonotic Arboviroses by Live Animal Trade

Live animal trade is considered a major mode of introduction of viruses from enzootic foci into disease-free areas. Due to societal and behavioural changes, some wild animal species may nowadays be considered as pet species. The species diversity of animals involved in international trade is thus increasing. This could benefit pathogens that have a broad host range such as arboviruses. The objective of this study was to analyze the risk posed by live animal imports for the introduction, in the European Union (EU), of four arboviruses that affect human and horses: Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis and Japanese encephalitis. Importation data for a five-years period (2005-2009, extracted from the EU TRACES database), environmental data (used as a proxy for the presence of vectors) and horses and human population density data (impacting the occurrence of clinical cases) were combined to derive spatially explicit risk indicators for virus introduction and for the potential consequences of such introductions. Results showed the existence of hotspots where the introduction risk was the highest in Belgium, in the Netherlands and in the north of Italy. This risk was higher for Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) than for the three other diseases. It was mainly attributed to exotic pet species such as rodents, reptiles or cage birds, imported in small-sized containments from a wide variety of geographic origins. The increasing species and origin diversity of these animals may have in the future a strong impact on the risk of introduction of arboviruses in the EU.

A Transaction cost analysis of cross-border insolvency.

The thesis identified transaction cost efficiencies in the application of appropriate governance mechanisms in cross-border insolvency law.

Estudio sobre la operatividad y eficacia de las multas en el marco de la contratación estatal

El trabajo de grado se estructuró en tres capítulos. El primero constituye un marco teórico sobre el cual se fundamentan los siguientes, pues se realiza un análisis de la cláusula penal en el derecho privado, incluidas las prácticas comerciales internacionales. El segundo capítulo aborda el tema de las multas en la contratación estatal, para lo cual se estudió la normatividad y jurisprudencia pertinente; en esa parte del escrito se incluyó el apartado correspondiente al derecho comparado. Finalmente, en el tercer capítulo, se formula una propuesta que permite hacer de esta medida coercitiva provisional una herramienta idónea para lograr el correcto y oportuno cumplimiento del contrato.

La presencia del Soft Law en el derecho administrativo colombiano : los documentos Conpes como manifestación del Soft Law en Colombia

El derecho internacional, como el derecho administrativo de cada Estado, se encuentra vinculado a la finalidad universal del derecho. No obstante, la influencia de la comunidad internacional en los asuntos jurídicos de los Estados está generando, con el auge de la globalización, mecanismos o instrumentos que de forma no impositiva pero sí persuasiva, vienen delimitando las competencias estatales. Estos instrumentos ejercen la función de ordenar los ámbitos de validez de dichas competencias jurídicas y administrativas internas, a través de formas declaratorias de carácter internacional, mediante normas jurídicas blandas denominadas soft law. El amplio y variado uso del soft law en temas como los derechos humanos y el medio ambiente plantea una dificultad para la teoría tradicional de fuentes, inspirada en la voluntad de los Estados, los cuales se constituyen a partir de su soberanía estatal (hard law). Esto sugiere una dicotomía jurídica, en donde el soft law se contrasta con las reglas legales que definen obligaciones específicas de hard law, es decir, “son normas o principios más abiertos o generales en su contenido y significado, comprendiéndose como suaves. En tal caso, el Soft Law plantea una apertura a la internacionalización y democratización del derecho administrativo. La creciente adopción de instrumentos de soft law de influencia internacional o global permite la participación de actores no estatales, tales como las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG), y de carácter civil en la construcción de políticas e instrumentos que en ocasiones adquieren más legitimidad que las leyes creadas para atender tales asuntos.

Mercadeo farmacéutico de productos bajo prescripción: efectos de las estrategias Direct-to-Consumer-Advertising en el comportamiento de los consumidores y de prescripción de los médicos

Este proyecto se origina en el interés de analizar las estrategias actuales de promoción de productos farmacéuticos, en el marco del debate sobre el efecto persuasivo o informativo que la publicidad directa tiene sobre los consumidores. El objetivo es determinar el efecto de las estrategias de promoción directa para consumidores (Direct to Consumer Advertising [DTCA]) sobre el comportamiento de compra de pacientes y las prescripciones que formulan los médicos en el mercado de productos bajo receta en Estados Unidos. Para tal fin se propuso realizar una monografía que incluyera una revisión de literatura de carácter argumentativo, consultando información de nivel secundario en bases de datos científicas cuyos contenidos obedecieran a criterios metodológicos determinados por la naturaleza argumentativa del estudio. Adicionalmente, se analizó el debate sobre estos anuncios a la luz de dos estudios realizados a pacientes con cáncer de seno, próstata y colon, liderados por el Pennsylvania Cancer Registry con los productos biofarmacéuticos Avodart® y Flomax®. Finalmente, la investigación se fundamentó en la relación del mercado farmacéutico en Estados Unidos con cada uno de los agentes que interactúan en él; consumidores, médicos prescriptores y empresas farmacéuticas, así como el valor que estos comparten través de dichas interacciones. Se concluye que el comportamiento de compra de los consumidores está determinado por la naturaleza de la patología que padecen y el comportamiento de los profesionales que prescriben a sus pacientes se ve influenciado por los anuncios DTCA.