Abstract The paper discusses elements of international trade and focuses on anti-dumping laws and rules. The paper explains that anti-dumping laws and rules are supposed to stop products from being dumped. The Canada-US Softwood Lumber dispute is the example used to study this topic.
From the Paper "One of the negative trade practices that international trade agreements are designed to deal with is dumping. According to Trebilcock and Howse, dumping occurs in its most typical form where foreign producers are selling goods into another country's market at prices below those which they would normally charge in their home market (Trebilcock and Howse 32). Dumping can usually be seen as a practice to harm domestic markets in another country. The idea is for the exporting country to take a short term economic hit in order to permanently cripple domestic markets in the receiving country."
Abstract ?Dumping?, which is defined as the practice of exporting a product at a price lower than the price at which an identical product is sold by the same producers in the exporting country's domestic market, features as a prominent reason cited by many governments to raise their trade barriers. Article VI of the GATT agreements legitimizes the use of anti-dumping (AD) duties under certain unique circumstances. In November 2003, the Delegation of the European Commission to the WTO initiated a dispute settlement process with the Delegation of India over AD measures imposed by the Government of India on imports of certain products originating in the European Communities (EC). The 27 AD cases mentioned were on products with end-usage in the textile, pharmaceutical, chemical, and steel sectors, three of which concerned acrylic fiber. This paper provides an in-depth economic analysis of the trade dispute in question between India and the EU by focusing on their trade in acrylic fiber. It begins by describing the nature of the acrylic fiber industry and discusses comparative advantages in world fiber production. The paper then proceeds to build a Heckscher-Ohlin model of trade between the countries in question and illustrates welfare changes and income distributions of free trade relative to autarky. Thereafter, it examines whether the AD measures imposed by India are indeed justified. This is done by analyzing the market behaviour and pricing strategies of major EC firms in this industry and by looking for evidence of injury to Indian exporters. Finally, the paper extends its previous analysis to discuss welfare implications of the imposed AD duties relative to free trade. The paper includes graphs and illustrations.
From the Paper "It is important to note that the EU is also well endowed in labor and can extract profits from labor-intensive industries, but the region faces a lower opportunity cost of producing one unit of a capital-intensive good such as acrylic, relative to one unit of a labor-intensive good such as cotton. The average size of acrylic fiber manufacturing plants in UK and Germany varies from 70,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes, whereas the average size of the plants in India range from 12,000 tonnes to 38,500 tonnes . Since the production technology for acrylic fiber requires a higher capital-to-labor ratio, this means that unit labor requirements are lower, and productivity higher in the European acrylic fiber industry than that of India. In other words, the fact that the EU is a net exporter of acrylic fiber vis-?-vis India and the rest of the world reflects its comparative and not absolute advantage in the production of this good."
Abstract This paper discusses the environmental hazards caused by the dumping of old or broken electronic equipment. This phenomenon occurs mainly in Third World countries, with most of the dumped equipment ending up in Asia. The paper explains the environmental and health problems caused by the electronic garbage. The paper explores various solutions to the problem.
From the Paper "Most of the world's electronic trash -- especially old computers -- is dumped in the third world countries, resulting severe environmental problems and illnesses among residents. A latest news agency declares that about 80 percent of the world's electronic trash is imported to Asia every year, and about 90 percent of which ends up in China (Chandran, 2002). The large amount of electronic trash dumped in Chinese cities has created serious health hazards for residents living across these cities. Although Chinese authorities have listed Guangdong's towns of Guiyu, Longtang and Dali and other areas as the country's major collection and distribution centers for electronic trash, these areas now have become a health hazard. The health problems arise through cathode ray tubes (CRTs), and any device that might hold them. CRTs contain lead and other chemicals that leach from landfills into groundwater."
An analysis of the legal battle between General Electric (GE) and Environmental Protection Association (EPA) which has ordered them to clean up the Hudson River following their dumping of chemicals.
Abstract This paper provides a history of the problem which allowed GE to dump hazardous waste into the Hudson River. These chemicals, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are said to cause cancer and other health problems. The writer examines the arguments of both parties and those presented in the legal battle which is still in progress.
From the Paper "Imagine, if you will, a sunny day. A boy and his father are fishing on the beautiful waters of the Hudson River. Excitedly, the boy yells, ?I got a fish! I got a fish!? He reels it in and his father removes the hook from its mouth. Dad says, ?That sure is nice one, son.? He then tosses the fish back in the water. When the boy asks why, the father explains that the fish in these waters are dangerous to eat. They contain high levels of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). "
From the Paper "DUMPING OF TOXIC WASTES BY U.S. COMPANIES IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES
This research paper discusses the extent, implications and possible solutions to the growing use by global transnational corporations (TNCs) with significant American ownership of less developed countries (LDCs) in the Third World as a dumping ground for toxic or otherwise hazardous waste products.
The preponderant part of the world's toxic waste is produced in the developed countries. Due to the stringent environmental laws in force there, much of that waste is either exported to or produced in the Third World by American-owned global TNCs under conditions which pose serious risks to the health of workers and residents of LDCs and to the world's ecosystems. Most of these exports and local production do not violate any international or ..."
Abstract Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action recounts the story of the action taken by attorney Jan Schlichtmann against the W. R. Grace chemical company and Beatrice Foods on behalf of families in Woburn, Massachusetts whose children had contracted leukemia, the suit claimed, from the ingestion of chemicals, dumped illegally by subsidiaries of the two giant corporations, that entered the wells that supplied a portion of the town. The civil litigation was meant to secure damages for the families but, more importantly, it was intended to "send a message" to large corporations that they could not continue to pollute the environment with reckless disregard for the health and well-being of the people, many of them their own employees, who lived in such areas.
From the Paper "Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action recounts the story of the action taken by attorney Jan Schlichtmann against the W. R. Grace chemical company and Beatrice Foods on behalf of families in Woburn, Massachusetts whose children had contracted leukemia, the suit claimed, from the ingestion of chemicals, dumped illegally by subsidiaries of the two giant corporations, that entered the wells that supplied a portion of the town. The civil litigation was meant to secure damages for the families but, more importantly, it was intended to "send a message" to large corporations that they could not continue to pollute the environment with reckless disregard for the health and well-being of the people, many of them their own employees, who lived in such areas. But what seemed like a fairly clear-cut case dragged on for a decade. The large corporations willingly spent millions..."
From the Paper "The oceans are, and will continue to be, an important source for the world's food supply. However, no dramatic changes in exploitative methods or dramatic increases in supply are foreseen by experts in the near future. Methods to use plentiful underutilized species, such as krill, will still be searched for, but the most significant increases in fishery productivity will come from more efficient use of current catches. Progress in biotechnology, especially improved larval development, will increase human capacity for cultivating the oceans. Still, it is debatable whether or not mariculture activity to provide food for the world's hungry will succeed. More realistically, aquaculture activities will continue to guarantee the production of higher.priced species, such as salmon.
Yet something threatens to ruin the fish that can be..."
Abstract The paper covers the role of the government agency EPA in the Casmalia situation. The thesis states and maintains that the government is not taking proper action to maintain the safety of the people and thus, it is endangering the lives of the concerned citizen in the cover up situation that it is creating.
Abstract This paper is devoted to the dilemma of clarifying the ethical, legal, and public relations matters pertaining to toxic, production waste dumping. It is written from the perspective of the Vice President of Production and de facto head of the company seeking to dispose of the waste. The paper considers the potential legal liability of the company regarding toxic substances, the substance's effects on the local environment and health of the local population, and any breaches of ethics committed by the parties involved.
From the Paper "Firstly, the company is responsible for keeping abreast of all legal aspects of dumping. This includes but is not limited to which wastes can be contained in holding ponds, as dictated by the current laws of the state and nation. The holding pond must be in line with regulations regarding the disposal of the particular wastes involved. In the current scenario, it is at least gratifying that the Vice President of the company attempted to make sure that the environmental consultant for the company agreed that the dumping would be in compliance with all of the legal strictures regarding the disposal of waste materials."
Abstract An opinion paper written on the topic of ballast water and the dangers that come with the dumping of the water into foreign harbors. The paper also includes the threat of the breakdown of every ecosystem around the whole globe. The paper includes evidence from seven different sources supporting the author's position and also a plan of action.
From the Paper "Every hour an average of more than 2 million gallons of ballast water, meaning 2 million gallons of foreign plankton, are released in U.S. waters. Ballast water may be the source of the largest volume of foreign organisms released on a daily basis into American ecosystems. The species carried in ballast water are called exotic species, alien species, invasive species, or non-indigenous species, all meaning a member, or members of a group or population, of a species that enters an aquatic ecosystem outside of its historic or native range. Invasions of exotic marine animals and plants into American coastal waters are not new."
Abstract This paper explains that, by 1800, no state or institution on earth was as old as the Chinese Empire but it was on the brink of dissolution brought on by opium addiction and the Great Opium Wars between China and Great Britain. The author points out the Emperor Tao-kuang, in an attempt to prohibit the use of opium, in 1820, demanded that the trading ships of the very powerful Britain dump their opium cargoes. The paper relates that, overwhelmingly defeated, on the 29th August 1842, the Chinese signed the Treaty of Nanking, paid an indemnity for the destroyed opium, ceded the island of Hong Kong and the opium trade remained illegal but with no way to stop it: The Chinese Imperial Government lasted only another seventy years.
Table of Contents
A Brief Political History of China
China in the 18th and 19th Century
Opium Addiction in China
The Opium Wars
The Loss of Hong Kong
The Collapse of the Chinese Empire
From the Paper "Prior the Qin Dynasty which began around 25 AD, China was a divided country by both subculture and written language. The Qin Dynasty lasted only for 14 years under the reign of emperor, Qin Shihuang, a particularly cruel ruler. Qin Shihuang is credited for unifying the written Chinese Language and with credited with introducing an administrative system that remained in place for more than 2000 years. Principle features of this administrative system are a strong central rule and a system of provinces, governed by administrators appointed by the center. Even communist China still follows this model."
Abstract Waste management and the landfill industry in general have emerged in the past few decades as an area of concern for citizens, government officials and policy makers alike. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was designed to govern the handling and disposal of "hazardous wastes" at sites that were then currently active. The RCRA affects sites where such wastes were treated, stored or disposed of since November 19, 1980. Thus, any person that generates "hazardous waste" is governed, as are persons that treat, store or dispose of hazardous wastes. This paper discusses the changes in the waste management and landfill industry as a result of the RCRA, the reconfiguration of the solid waste industry after the EPA banned local small dumps, and includes policy analysis and recommendations for the future in this area.
From the Paper "The RCRA requires landfill owners to prove that they can afford to maintain their landfills after closure and to correct environmental problems the landfills cause. Trust funds are the most promising of the mechanisms owners may use to provide financial assurance (Lee, at 35-39). After the EPA banned small dumps, a large landfill industry arose, causing a reconfiguration of the solid waste industry. Public and private landfill owners face additional compliance deadlines under the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill regulations issued by the EPA."
Abstract This assignment reviews chapter 19 of NAFTA, placing special emphasis on Article 1904 discussing the controversial topic of dumping. The paper reviews the general structure and shares criticism of this chapter.
From the Paper "One of the negative trade practices that NAFTA was designed to deal with is dumping. Michael J. Trebilcock and Robert Howse in "The Evolution of International Trade Theory, Policy and Institutions" explain, Dumping occurs in its most typical form where foreign producers are selling goods into another country's market at prices below those which they would normally charge in their home market (Trebilcock and Howse 32). Dumping can be seen as a trading strategy designed to harm the domestic market of the importing country. The idea is for the exporting country to take a short term economic hit in order to permanently cripple domestic markets in the receiving country."
Abstract The World Trade Organization is an organization that works to help its members attain and maintain fair trade practices on a global level. This paper looks at how in 1995 two of the world's most economically powerful nations came to blows over an anti-dumping issue. Japan believed the United States was at fault while the U.S. argued that Japan was wrong. It focuses on how the WTO tried to mediate the situation and how, although the U.S. and Japan made up, the WTO was left with bruises that are still healing.
Outline:
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Dispute Process
One Case
Conclusion
From the Paper "While the organization has been set and governed for the purpose of allowing fair trade practices among its members, as well as providing a worldwide voice for issues that the WTO members feel they need to speak up about, there are times in which the members will disagree with each other about fair trade. It is during these times that the WTO steps in and mediates those disagreements. This helps countries establish agreements and settle problems without resorting to war or serious embargos that can threaten to bring on a war between two or more nations."
This paper discusses the Canadian-U.S.A. softwood lumber dispute, the 2006 agreement and the role of the public interest group, the British Columbia Lumber Trade Council.
Abstract This paper explains that, in the Canadian-U.S.A. softwood lumber dispute, Washington objected to the low Canadian lumber prices; whereas, the provinces of Canada saw their role as regulating lumbering so that the mainly Crown lands on which it takes place are maintained ecologically well. The author points out that the 2006 agreement removed the tariff on Canadian softwood, but also established export taxes that will kick into place should the price of lumber drop too low, thus preventing Canadian exporters from "dumping" or selling lumber in the United States at prices less than what goods cost to produce. The paper stresses that Canada like many Third World countries, is a raw material exporter, subjected to prices and rulings made elsewhere and with whole local or even national economies revolving around particular commodities and their related industries.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Canada's Objectives
The British Columbia Lumber Trade Council
Concluding Notes
From the Paper "Critics said that there should be no duty paid by Canadian forestry companies, in the first place, that Americans either wanted to buy lumber that they could not produce in the United States to keep up with demand, or they did not. A Duke University expert on international economic law wrote that the 2005 negotiations that have gone before the present Softwood Lumber Agreement of 2006 involved Washington being made aware of having reacted too quickly to the earlier situation. Some Americans realized that they were on 'thin ice' in terms of the position taken against Canadian producers of lumber, by suddenly charging tariffs, in view of the NAFTA."
