Possible uses of the STRI and next steps:Some comments

Alexander Keck*Counsellor

Economic Research and Statistics Division, WTO

OECD EXPERTS MEETINGSERVICES TRADE RESTRICTIVENESS INDEX (STRI)

OECD Conference Centre, Paris, 2-3 JULY 2009

*This presentation has been prepared to assist public understanding of the issue and is without prejudice to the positions of WTO Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO. It must not be associated with the organization represented by the presenter or its Members.

Database and methodology

Regulatory data: Continuous data Trade-enhancing, “bottleneck”, exchangeable

regulations Time series

Weighting schemes Subjectivity vs. sample-dependency/sensitivity vs. data

constraints How to choose? Combine (e.g. PCA plus EJ/impact)?

Identical STRI scores, different regulatory profiles Performance regressions Importance of heterogeneity/country deviancy indicator

Uses and further developments

Unique information base on regulatory/policy design Calculation of tariff equivalents

Price-/quantity-effect measures: Comparability? Top-down? How to deal with non-negotiables?

Update CGE (tariff equivalents by APC) Constraint: trade data

What’s on the table (e.g. Gootiiz and Mattoo, 2009)? (“The big picture”) Better information on actual policies Convert GATS commitments/Hong Kong negotiating

objectives (Annex C)/Doha offers to same scale? Reductions in commitment gap comparable to reductions in

water in Ag and NAMA? Other measures, e.g. reduction in dispersion, heterogeneity?