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The Politics of Trade Policy and the Trade Negotiating Process

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Trade Agreements and Public Health

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Public Health Policy Research ((PSPHPR))

Abstract

This chapter presents an analysis of the actors, ideas, institutions and processes that shape trade policy and the negotiation of trade agreements. The roles played by nation states, industry, civil society and academics are explored. The trade policy-making process is described, and the ways in which influence is exerted. The role of intergovernmental organisations in the governance of trade and health is also explored. The chapter then turns to the need for advocacy and capacity building to improve policy coherence between trade and health. Strategies to advance health on the trade policy agenda are discussed, along with strategies to strengthen the capacity of trade and health officials for intersectoral policy making, as well as the capacity of health professionals and organisations to engage with trade policy.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The European Union negotiates and votes as a bloc, as do the ASEAN nations in the context of agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). In both instances, however, the bloc position is generally informed and sometimes must be agreed upon by its member states.

  2. 2.

    The World Bank and International Monetary Fund exert influence over trade policy, notably in earlier structural adjustment policies (late 1980s through early 2000s) intended to avoid developing country sovereign defaults and premised largely on neoliberal economic theory; and more recently, though less neoliberally-tinged, through loans to low- and middle-income countries most affected by the 2008 financial crisis (the ‘austerity’ agenda).

  3. 3.

    Named for the colour of the WTO Director-General’s office.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Deborah Gleeson

  2. School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Ronald Labonté

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Correspondence to Deborah Gleeson .

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Gleeson, D., Labonté, R. (2020). The Politics of Trade Policy and the Trade Negotiating Process. In: Trade Agreements and Public Health. Palgrave Studies in Public Health Policy Research. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0485-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0485-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-0484-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-0485-3

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