Contributor: Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås

Cross-border Movement of People and Its Critical Role for Services Trade

and | 28 February 2022
Trade, Blog | Tags: Mode 4, Services Trade, WTO
The importance of cross-border movement of people for services trade and the functioning of global value chains has been amply demonstrated during the COVID-19 crisis. While in normal times – and during the financial crisis in 2008 – services trade has been less volatile than ... continue reading

The EU Digital Market Regulations: Rule-Maker or Deal-Breaker?

, and | 3 February 2022
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Digitalization, Services Trade
The digital transformation of the economy and society gives rise to a need for updated regulations and rules of the game for the digitised market. Within the EU, this need has been reflected in a number of legislative initiatives, most recently the Digital Markets Act (DMA), ... continue reading

Double Whammy? The Impact of Trade and Automation on High-Skilled Jobs

and | 10 January 2022
Trade, Blog | Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Employment, Services
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities for language, speech and image recognition pass human levels, AI-enabled software can perform white collar tasks previously done exclusively by high-skilled humans. Furthermore, white collar jobs in rich countries could face a double whammy. Not only may AI-enabled automation transform ... continue reading

Trade and Consumer Prices: The Role of Competitive Transport, Communication, and Distribution Services

| 21 December 2021
Trade, Blog | Tags: Competition, Inflation, Services Trade, Transport
The recent spike in consumer price inflation has amply demonstrated that transport, logistics and distribution play a major role in bringing goods from producers to consumers in a timely and cost-effective manner. Conversely, when choke points in the logistics supply chain arise, prices skyrocket (Figure ... continue reading

Postponing the WTO Ministerial Conference – Making the Unexpected Breathing Space a Turning Point

and | 6 December 2021
Trade, Blog | Tags: Agricultural Trade, Health, Services Trade, Trade Governance, WTO
The WTO 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), which was due to take place in Geneva from 30 November – 3 December, was postponed indefinitely last minute due to new COVID-19 travel restrictions. Despite hectic activity on a rather modest agenda during the run-up to the event, ... continue reading