Perhaps the most significant challenge comes in the very redefinition of trading

Perhaps the most significant challenge comes in the very redefinition of what constitutes trade policy, and the consequent expansion in the ...

Perhaps the most significant challenge comes in the very redefinition of what constitutes trade policy, and the consequent expansion in the array of issues and interested parties with which a trade ministry must deal. The borderlines that separate trade from other fields of public policy have always been somewhat blurry, and the distinctions have become even fuzzier over the course of the last generation. What was once a limited area of policy that intersected with aspects of foreign and fiscal policy is now more fully linked to nearly every consequential topic on the national agenda. Among the subjects now handled in most trade negotiations are investment, intellectual property rights and trade in services; some talks go further still, incorporating such matters as competition policy, labour rights, and environmental protection. Each of these issues have profound implications for countries’

 development strategies. Policymakers in the field of trade policy, whether they are negotiators, legislators, or litigators, are now called upon to deal with a range of issues over which officials in other ministries and agencies have principal jurisdiction. Conversely, officials in those other bodies must live I. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 5 with the consequences of trade negotiations and disputes. It is necessary for policymakers in all fields to understand the ways that trade is related to other areas of public policy, and especially how it needs to be mainstreamed into development policy.