Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade
The Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT) is an open regional network of research and academic institutions specializing in international trade policy and facilitation issues. Network members currently include over 20 leading national trade research and academic institutions from as many developing countries from East, South, and Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
ARTNeT's goal is to increase the amount of quality trade research available to policymakers in the Asia and Pacific region.
ARTNeT Founding and Structure
The Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade (ARTNeT) was launched in 2004 with the support of the Canadian International Development Research Centre(IDRC) and the Trade and Investment Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) which provides both the Secretariat of the network and a direct regional link to trade policymakers and other international organizations.
Since its launch, the Network has attracted over 20 member research institutions from the developing countries of the region and has gained some additional partners, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). A number of bilateral donors are also providing financial support to the network. For example, the Government of France and the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development have provided support for the ARTNeT Greater Mekong Subregioninitiative.
ARTNeT Strategy
To achieve the long-term goal of enabling government policy makers to more effectively formulate trade policies, ARTNeT has adopted a three-pronged strategy.
- Research
ARTNeT and its members aim to produce high quality research and analysis on trade and investment related issues. Currently in its second phase, the ARTNeT research programme emphasizes the implementation of regional multi-institutions research studies under the following themes: (1) Trade, investment, and domestic policy coherence for inclusive growth, (2) Trade Facilitation (TF) and Development of Related Services Sectors, and (3) Multilateral Trade Liberalization and Regional integration.
- Dissemination
ARTNeT research as well as members’ research is disseminated through various means, including a dedicated website, an online regional database of trade-related publications, a working paper and a policy brief series, a newsletter and other publications. ARTNeT's thematic consultative meetings provide both the research institutions and policy makers with an opportunity to exchange information, and review and refine research findings.
- Capacity Building
As many of the countries in the region have yet to evolve trade-related research programmes, ARTNeT strives to build research capacity in the region, particularly in least developed countries. This is done through implementation of regional team-based research studies, research grants to junior researchers from least developed countries, organization of technical training workshops for trade research, and visiting fellowships to academic institutions.
ARTNeT Resources for Researchers
ARTNeT provides access to the following tools and resources through its website:
The ARTNeT database of trade publications gives access to full-text trade-related publications of research institutions and international organizations working in the Asia-Pacific region, including those of ARTNeT members and partners. The database is updated regularly and allows search by trade focus areas, sources, keywords and more.
The Asia-Pacific Trade Agreements Database (APTIAD) gives researchers and policymakers easy access to all the preferential trade agreements entered into by the countries of the Asia and Pacific region and enables them to calculate some of the most commonly used indicators (e.g. export/import value, export/import growth, export/import share, trade share, trade intensity) by country or region, product and year.
This initiative is designed to more closely integrate the research capacity building and research programme implementation objectives and activities of ARTNeT. It includes regional technical research workshops, support for research studies to apply techniques learned, development of related research facilitation tools, and support for dissemination of policy relevant results.
ARTNeT Alerts provide a channel for policymakers and other stakeholders to alert the trade and investment research community to emerging policy challenges.
Resources for Policy Makers
ARTNeT presents materials from ARTNeT research programmes and/or individual research programmes of members in the form of ARTNeT Policy Briefs, all of which are available for viewing and downloading free of charge on its website.
Recent topics have included:
Inclusive growth and trade facilitation: Insights from South Asia
Trade and Investment Linkages and Policy Coordination: Lessons from Case Studies in Asian Developing Countries
Post-Multifibre Arrangement Adjustments and China: After all, the Emperor is wearing no new clothes?
Trade and investment liberalization and the development of small and medium enterprises: A perspective from Indonesia
Non-Tariff Barriers in Agricultural Trade: Issues and Implications for Least Developed Countries
Agricultural Trade Protection: A Perspective from India.
ARTNeT Member Institutions
Cambodia Development Resource Institute, Cambodia
Centre for Analysis and Forecasting, Viet Nam
Centre for Business and Economics Research and Development, De La Salle University, Philippines
Centre for International Economics and Development Studies, Thailand
Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh
Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia
China Center for Economic Research, China
China Europe International Business School, China
Chinese Academy for International Trade and Economic Cooperation, China
Department of Economics, Jadavpur University, India
Economic Research Institute for Trade, Lao PDR
Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, China
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
Institute of the Chinese Economy and WTO studies, Peking University
Institute for Policy Research and Development (IPRAD), Nepal
Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka
Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Malaysia
Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, Republic of Korea
Macau University of Science and Technology, China
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Pakistan
Philippine Institute for Development Studies
Research and Information System for the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries, India
Thailand Development Research Institute, Thailand
References
- Asia-Pacific Trade Agreements Database
- United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific