AIG Global Trade Series

The 2024 edition of the AIG Global Trade Series explores the theme of ‘Back to the Future: A New Era of Managed Trade?’
Digitally delivered services have experienced a four-fold increase in value since 2005 and now account for a significant share of all services exports. At a time of growing concern about the slowdown in global trade in goods, the boom in digital services trade is a comparative bright spot.

But does this perception fully align with the reality? Are the pressures on the global trade system - such as geopolitics, the risk of trade fragmentation and non-tariff measures - really less disruptive of digital services trade than they are of trade in goods? How could the WTO help promote and protect digital trade and harmonise regulatory approaches to digital services? And what does a growth in digital services mean for development and inclusion?

Panellists:       
Richard Baldwin, Professor of International Economics, IMD Business School
Jennifer Hillman, Professor of Practice, Georgetown University Law Center; Co-Director, Center for Inclusive Trade and Development (CITD)
Emily Jones, Director of the Global Economic Governance programme, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
Jane Drake-Brockman, Executive Director, Australian Services Institute

Moderator:     
Rem Korteweg, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute

This podcast episode was recorded on 12 September 2024.

___

 
The Global Trade Series is a collaboration between AIG and the following international organisations with leading expertise on global trade: 

the Aspen Institute Germany; CEBRI - the Brazilian Center for International Relations; Chatham House (UK); CITD - the Center on Inclusive Trade and Development at Georgetown University Law Center (US); the Clingendael Institute (The Netherlands); Elcano Royal Institute (Spain); ERIA – the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (Indonesia); ISPI - the Italian Institute for International Political Studies; the Jacques Delors Institute (France); RIETI - the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan); and the St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity through Trade (Switzerland).

What is AIG Global Trade Series?

Back to the Future: a New Era of Managed Trade?

Globalisation’s next chapter is being written, driven by concerns about supply chain risks. The global trade in goods is increasingly seen through a security prism in capitals around the world and governments are developing new policies to reduce unwanted dependencies, seek new sources of leverage and guarantee supplies. Trade links are being reordered as policymakers scramble to secure access to strategic materials and positions in global value chains. Meanwhile, geopolitical turbulence and climate ambitions are giving rise to industrial policies, sanctions and a growing use of subsidies.

From investment screening to quotas to export controls, policymakers are proposing an increasing number of tools and policies to steer trade and investment flows. But despite worries about protectionism and fragmentation, trade continues as the private sector manages risk by embracing diversification. Elections in the US, EU, Mexico, UK, Indonesia, India and elsewhere may also lead to a reordering of the global politics of trade. Has the global trade system entered an era of managed trade? What will it mean for regional approaches to trade, and what does it mean for multilateralism and the WTO? Ultimately, the main question could be: who is in the driving seat in this brave new world for trade?