CARD: Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Iowa State University homepage Iowa State University homepage CARD home

CARD: Center for Agricultural and Rural Development

World Trade Organization Analysis

Recent Projects

TAP researchers have produced a critical body of work and investigations related to the WTO, which reflect the importance of agriculture in WTO negotiations. Since 2002 several of these investigations were undertaken in collaboration with and funded by the World Bank. Core funding for many of these investigations has been provided by USDA Special and Research Grant programs.

A first series of analyses look at the interface between domestic farm program design and WTO commitments on limits to domestic support. A recent project attempts to define a less distorting structure for domestic farm programs. The investigation focuses on the discipline on market support under the existing Agreement on Agriculture. The investigation identifies possible changes to induce more substantial trade reforms and argues for phasing out loopholes and facilitating decoupling. (Work by Hart and Beghin). A previous analysis looked at the 2002 US farm bill proposals and explored the potential conflict with U.S. commitments to limit subsidies under the WTO agreement. (Work by Babcock and Hart). An earlier investigation looked at WTO commitments on domestic support made by the United States and their constraining effects on the design of U.S. farm programs, and whether the United States has complied with its WTO commitments. (Work by Babcock and Hart).

Another set of studies completed in 2004 in collaboration with the World Bank looked at the impact of trade policy liberalization and the removal of domestic farm subsidies using various models. A series of dedicated studies looked at specific commodities markets, their distortions, and the implications of removing these trade and domestic distortions. The studies identified major winners and losers in these markets following liberalization. A book containing the commodity studies and the analysis of cross-cutting issues was published by the World Bank at the end of 2004. (Work led by Aksoy and Beghin with collaboration of others at various institutions).

In 2003, at the request of Congress, a large collective project analyzed the modalities and schedule of commitments for each member country under the Harbinson proposal. The project assessed the potential market impacts of these changes for world agricultural markets with a focus on grains, oilseeds, sugar, cotton, livestock, poultry, and dairy markets. (Work led by Fabiosa).

In 2002, TAP undertook a major analysis of global trade liberalization and removal of domestic farm subsidies based on FAPRI models. This large analysis was subsequently used as the basis of the policy analysis included the commodity studies mentioned above. (Led by Fabiosa). A detailed analysis of world sugar trade liberalization was carried in 2004. (Work by Elobeid and Beghin). A similar analysis was also undertaken using a computable general-equilibrium modeling approach. (Work by Beghin, van der Mensbrugghe, and Roland-Holst).

Earlier on, TAP researchers elucidated the implications of WTO accession of China and Taiwan for world agriculture and their domestic agricultural markets. (Work led by Fuller). Several other projects on trade opening in China focused on implications for meat and feed markets (work by Fuller and Hayes), vegetable oil and oilseed markets (work by Fang and Beghin), and cotton (work by Fang and Babcock).

Numerous investigations have been undertaken including on state trading, food security policies in Korea, tariff rate quotas in sugar markets, and phyto-sanitary issues (see the trade and environment sub page).

Selected Publications

Fabiosa, J., et al. "The Doha Round of the WTO and Agricultural Market Liberalization: Impacts on Developing Economies," forthcoming in Review of Agricultural Economics.

Hart, C. and J. Beghin. "Rethinking Agricultural Domestic Support under the World Trade Organization." In Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda. Edited by W. Martin and K. Anderson. New York: Oxford University Press and the World Bank. Forthcoming in 2005.

Aksoy, M. A. and J. C. Beghin, eds. Global Agricultural Trade and Developing Countries. The World Bank, 2004.

Fuller, Frank, et al. 2003. "China’s Accession to the WTO: What Is at Stake for Agricultural Markets?" Review of Agricultural Economics, 25(Fall/Winter):399-414.

Beghin J., J-C Bureau, and S.J. Park. "Food Security and Protection of Agriculture in Korea," American Journal of Agricultural Economics 85(3) (2003): 618-632.

Beghin J., D. Roland-Holst, and D. van der Mensbrugghe. "How will agricultural trade reforms in high-income countries affect the trading relationships of developing countries?" in Agriculture, Trade, and Poverty: Making Policy Analysis Count, OECD Publications, Paris, 2003: 39-57.

Hart, C., and B. A. Babcock. "U.S. Farm Policy and the WTO: How Do They Match Up?" The Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy 3(2002):119-139.

Beghin, J., and D. Sumner, eds. "Dairy Policies and Trade: Implications for the Next WTO Negotiations." A special issue of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics volume 47 (5) December 1999 (appeared in 2000).

CARD World Trade Organization Publications

April 2008
What Effect Does Free Trade in Agriculture Have on Developing Country Populations Around the World?
Jacinto F. Fabiosa
[08-WP 466]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

June 2006
U.S. Sugar Policy Options and Their Consequences under NAFTA and Doha
David Abler, John C. Beghin, David Blandford, Amani Elobeid
[06-WP 424]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

December 2005
U.S. Proposal for WTO Agriculture Negotiations: Its Impact on U.S. and World Agriculture
FAPRI Staff
[05-WP 417] (Available online only)
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

September 2005
Multilateral Trade and Agricultural Policy Reforms in Sugar Markets
Amani Elobeid, John C. Beghin
[04-WP 356] (Revised)
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

November 2004
Rethinking Agricultural Domestic Support under the World Trade Organization
Chad E. Hart, John C. Beghin
[04-BP 43]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

September 2004
Global Agricultural Liberalization: An In-Depth Assessment of What Is At Stake
Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, John C. Beghin
[04-WP 370]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

December 2003
State Trading Enterprises in a Differentiated Environment: The Case of Global Malting Barley Markets
Fengxia Dong, Thomas L. Marsh, Kyle W. Stiegert
[03-WP 350]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

November 2003
Groundnut Trade Liberalization: A South-South Debate?
John C. Beghin, Holger Matthey, Ndiame Diop, Mirvat Sewadeh
[03-WP 347]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

September 2003
Modeling Tariff Rate Quotas in a Global Context: The Case of Sugar Markets in OECD Countries
Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, John C. Beghin, Don Mitchell
[03-WP 343]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

July 2003
Agricultural Trade and the Doha Round: Lessons from Commodity Studies
John C. Beghin, Ataman Aksoy
[03-BP 42]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

June 2003
Analysis of the Proposed Doha Round Modalities, An
FAPRI Staff, Bruce A. Babcock, Jacinto F. Fabiosa, Holger Matthey, Murat Isik, Simla Tokgoz, Amani Elobeid, Chad E. Hart, Frank H. Fuller, Seth Meyer
[03-SR 98] (Available online only)
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

May 2003
Modeling World Peanut Product Markets: A Tool for Agricultural Trade Policy Analysis
John C. Beghin, Holger Matthey
[03-WP 332]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

January 2003
China's Cotton Policy and the Impact of China's WTO Accession and Bt Cotton Adoption on the Chinese and U.S. Cotton Sectors
Cheng Fang, Bruce A. Babcock
[03-WP 322]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

November 2002
Doha Round of the World Trade Organization: Appraising Further Liberalization of Agricultural Markets, The
Bruce A. Babcock, John C. Beghin, Jacinto F. Fabiosa, Stephane De Cara, Amani Elobeid, Cheng Fang, Chad E. Hart, Murat Isik, Holger Matthey, Alexander E. Saak, Karen Kovarik, FAPRI Staff
[02-WP 317]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

June 2002
Global Agricultural Trade and the Doha Round: What are the Implications for North and South?
John C. Beghin, David Roland-Holst, Dominique van der Mensbrugghe
[02-WP 308]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

February 2002
U.S. Farm Policy and the World Trade Organization: How Do They Match Up?
Chad E. Hart, Bruce A. Babcock
[02-WP 294]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

October 2001
Construction of a "Green Box" Countercyclical Program
Bruce A. Babcock, Chad E. Hart
[01-BP 36]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

September 2001
Food Security and Agricultural Protection in South Korea
John C. Beghin, Jean-Christophe Bureau, Sung Joon Park
[01-WP 284]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

June 2001
China's Accession to the WTO: What Is at Stake for Agricultural Markets?
Frank H. Fuller, John C. Beghin, Stephane De Cara, Jacinto F. Fabiosa, Cheng Fang, Holger Matthey
[01-WP 276]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

May 2001
Implications of the WTO on the Redesign of U.S. Farm Policy
Chad E. Hart, Bruce A. Babcock
[01-BP 32]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

September 2000
Welfare-Improving Collusion in the Japanese Pork Import Market
Jacinto F. Fabiosa
[00-WP 248]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text

July 1998
Impact of Chinese Accession to the World Trade Organization on U.S. Meat and Feed-Grain Producers
Frank H. Fuller, Dermot J. Hayes
[98-WP 195]
View Synopsis -- Download Full Text