Trade Barriers May Be Easing

(World Bank)

Monitoring update on trade barriers during the crisis

Industry demands for import restrictions declined for the first time since the international economic crisis began in 2008, according to a new report from Chad P. Bown. New probes requested by domestic industries dropped 24% in the fourth quarter of 2009 from a year before, which could signal a turning point in protectionist sentiment. Still, 2009 finished on a sobering note, with 20% more requests for barriers than 2008. Those requests often led to new import restrictions, and 2009 saw 30% more new restrictions, mainly because of investigations begun earlier in the crisis. The trade barriers tracked in the study included policies that are considered potentially legal by the WTO, such as antidumping, safeguards, and anti-subsidy measures.

Link to the report here.