1 Nov 2011    Journal Articles
MILE 02, Anirudh Shingal , Sauvé, Pierre


Reflections on the preferential liberalization of services trade

Authored by Pierre Sauvé & Anirudh Shingal, in "Journal of World Trade 45.5 (2011)".

This paper takes stock of the forces that lie behind the recent rise of preferential agreements in services trade. Its initial focus is with a number of distinguishing features of services trade that set it apart from trade in goods and shapes trade liberalization and rule-making approaches in the services field. The paper then documents the nature, modal, and sectoral incidence of the trade and investment preferences spawned by preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in services. It does so with a view to addressing the question of how preferential the preferential treatment of services trade is. Finally, the paper addresses a number of considerations arising from attempts to multilateralize preferential access and rule-making in services trade.

Reflections on the preferential liberalization of services trade