International Trade Negotiations and the Trans-Border Movement of People: A Review of the Literature

Anna Strutt, Jacques Poot and J. Dubbeldam ()
Additional contact information
J. Dubbeldam: University of Waikato

Population Studies Centre Discussion Papers from University of Waikato, Te Ngira Institute for Population Research

Abstract: We review the international and New Zealand literatures on the two-way interaction between international migration and agreements designed to enhance cross-border trade or investment. Benefits and costs of migration, to the extent that these may feature in trade and migration negotiations, are discussed. While trade and migration can be substitutes in some contexts, they will be complements in other contexts. Liberalisation of services and the movement of people are likely to offer much more significant gains than liberalisation of remaining barriers to goods trade. Significant scope for liberalisation under GATS mode 4 (the movement of natural persons) may remain. However, temporary migration is already promoted on a unilateral and bilateral basis within immigration policy frameworks that may provide greater flexibility than GATS mode 4. With respect to both trade and migration, the more diverse the exchanging countries are, the greater the economic benefits tend to be. However, greater diversity may also imply greater social costs. This paradox of diversity needs to be addressed through appropriate social policies accompanying enhanced temporary and permanent migration.

Keywords: international trade; migration; outsourcing; temporary workers; e-labour; GATS; negotiation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D60 F13 F15 F22 F51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 68 pages
Date: 2008-06-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-int and nep-mig
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

Downloads: (external link)
https://repec.its.waikato.ac.nz/wai/pscdps/dp-68.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wai:pscdps:dp-68

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Population Studies Centre Discussion Papers from University of Waikato, Te Ngira Institute for Population Research Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand, 3240. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Geua Boe-Gibson ().