China and Multilateral Development Banks (KINMDB)
How and why is China strengthening its position in the major development banks?...
Står den liberale epoken for fall?
30 years after the fall of the wall the world is more about continuity than change.
State-owned Enterprises and the Trade Wars
Do state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state capitalism create unfair competition in international markets? Empirical evidence surveyed in this brief suggests that from the turn of the century, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) indeed started competing increasingly with private firms, trading across borders and establishing themselves abroad through foreign direct investment. Some SOEs benefited from government-granted advantages unavailable to their private peers. International legal disputes involving SOEs have multiplied, and discussions of new trade and investment policy initiatives aiming to discipline SOEs have emerged. However, opinions differ as to what are the best policy approaches. The OECD Guidelines on SOEs would go a long way towards maintaining an international level playing field, but these are not mandatory and therefore unevenly implemented. WTO law gives countries freedom in managing their SOEs and focuses instead on disciplining government actions which may distort competition in international markets, irrespective of their ownership status. Some recent preferential trading agreements (PTAs) have included new SOE-specific disciplines that may influence future policy developments. On-going concerns about the allegedly unfair trade practices in emerging market economies with large state sectors, most notably China, are likely to strengthen the pressure for a closer scrutiny of SOEs and a development of new national and international disciplines. Improved transparency and disclosure are likely to be a common denominator of these new initiatives.
Common Fear Factors in Foreign Policy (COMFEAR)
COMFEAR aims to identify key issues of common concern and shared threats as perceived by publics and policymakers in Czechia and Norway....
Global trade policy at the crossroads (UD trade policy seminars)
In this project, NUPI will contribute to address the need for knowledge on the feed on the new global trade situation. ...
WTO and the trade war: The end of peaceful conflict resolution?
If president Trump doesn’t change his mind, the WTO will be in a crisis from 11 December. What has caused the crisis, and can it be resolved?
Utrikeshandel løner och rørlighet
Labour market churning in Sweden is similar to other European countries. Trade is associated with labour market dynamics mainly through the reallocation of workers. If a firm change export status, workers in the firm is more likely to move to another firm in the same industry, but less likely to move to another sector. High-skilled workers are more likely to change occupation. Those who change job are less likely to obtain a wage rise, except those who change occupation who also gain higher wages. The share of employment in trading firms has, however, declined over time. While the female share of employment has been constant over the last 15 years, the female share in trading firms has declined. Both these observations are driven by an expansion of non-traded services.
Norway-China Symposium for Research within the Social Sciences, Humanities and Law (NOKINSYMP)
Annual symposium that highlights the importance of the social disciplines in Norway-China research cooperation....
Make or buy : offshoring of services functions in manufacturing
About 40% of employment in manufacturing is in services functions. This paper examines how employment in services function in manufacturing is affected by offshoring. It finds that the impact is small on average but depends strongly on the complexity of the value chain, the policy environment and ICT maturity. Manufacturing employment is more services intensive the longer the value chain. In-house IT functions complement and support offshored IT functions, while offshored R&D functions tend to replace in-house R&D.
Free trade agreements in a small, open country: The case of Norway
Negotiating free trade agreements (FTAs) has been a high political priority for Norway. Today it has agreements with 41 countries outside the European Union (EU) / the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), resulting one the world’s most extensive FTA networks. FTAs cover about 10% of Norway’s trade – a share likely to increase in the future. These agreements eliminate tariffs on a substantial number of traded products, and have gradually become more comprehensive, covering an expanding range of non-tariff areas. Hence, they may have trade-promoting effects beyond tariff reductions as such. On the other hand, the non-tariff provisions often do not go further than what has already been dealt with in other international agreements or practised domestically, so their overall effect may be limited.