RESEARCH PRESENTATION ON MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM AND DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT (SDT)

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO

NIGERIA

RESEARCH PRESENTATION

ON

MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM AND DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT (SDT)

BY

UNDERGRADUATE FINAL YEAR STUDENTS 2012

SUPERVISED

BY

M. M. YUSIF

Introduction

Over the last five years final year students under my supervision undertake their researches on the politics of the management of international trade by the World Trade Organisation.

In the said years we have covered major areas and brought out closer to us existing literature on the issues. These areas are:

1.    Globalization and Regional Trade Agreements

2.    WTO, Agricultural Trade and Food Security

3.    Doha Negotiations: Problems and Prospects

4.    Politics of globalization: WTO and International Trade in Services

5.    Multilateral Trading System and Development: The role of Special and Differential Treatment (SDT)

However, some grey subjects which cut across these major areas are annually researched.

This kind of research may probably raised question, especially from those who are not aware with the changes in the structure of knowledge in political science, that what is political science in this research?

From Aristotle through American Political Science Orientation to the present the science has seen profound transformation by Scientific Revolutions which affected its scope and the issues it deals with.

The history of the science from the time of Aristotle shows that in order to solve human political and other social problems it must use other sciences. So, right from its origin political science is multidisciplinary. This may be the reason why Spiro called Political Science a “Master Science”.

It survives and becomes more resilient to the upset scientific revolution because it could adopt and apply the methods of other Social Sciences with its many different areas of specialization. Among these is “Trade Politics” with collection of literature.

Researchers must be conscious that it is only the American perspective in the development of the science in the 1930s that has reduced it to legal and institutional political studies. This of course has remained in the science, but now is less significant in the body of literature in the science.

Overview of the researches

The topic of the work of this year is “Multilateral Trading System and Development of Developing Countries”: the role of Special and Differential Development” (SDT).

There are four (4) key concepts which are treated at different levels by the students. These are:

1.    Multilateral Trading System

2.    Development

3.    Developing Countries and

4.    Special Differential Treatment

The last concept is most fundamental in this question. It ties up all the three others together, as is it Operationalisation and analysis which would reveal the relevance of the others.

The central idea of SDT is that the actors in global trade environment are at different levels of development, therefore must not be governed by the same rules of international trade relations.

Application of the same rules would ultimately mean that the weaker countries i.e. the developing world, as part of the multilateral trading system would not derive any development through trade.

It is this problem of linking trade and development which the major players do not want, which resulted in the ‘death’ of ITO, also of GATT and now has weakened the WTO in the management of global trade.

As early as 1960, through the UNCTD, some general principles called SDT were proposed to narrow the imbalance of benefits between the developed and the developing countries.

However, under the GATT regime of multilateral trading system, the major players i.e. USA, Japan, Canada and the EU only offered these provisions if were going to serve their political and economic interests.

From Tokyo to Uruguay Round the SDT provisions were virtually strangulated and in the Post-Uruguay are buried as are not compatible with free trade system.

The following researches under my supervision, illuminates on various issues on the theory, practice and implications of global trade with or without SDT and development of countries of the developing world.

S/N	NAME & REG. NO.	TITLE OF PROJECT	BRIEF ON THE PROJECT	GRADE
1.	Sani Adamu SMS/09/POL/00874	Evolution of Preferential Trade Relations: From GATT to Uruguay Round	Gives the history and principles of SDT under GATT and WTO
2.	Jonathan Ndamu Monday SMS/08/POL/00400	SDT under WTO Regime: What Problems for International Trade	SDT principles under WTO system has failed to solve problem of trade and Development
3.	Ahmed Nazir SMS/09/POL/00916	SDT and Development of Developing Countries	The answer found is whether initially the SDT is conceived to bring development.
4.	Osahor Junior Ogierhiakhi SMS/09/POL/00948	SDT: Benefit and Losses to Developing Countries	With example of transition period with regard to implementation of TRIPS shows the benefits and losses
5.	Mohammed Mahmoud Hassan SMS/09/POL/00963	STD and Uruguay Round: Free Trade or Protectionism	SDT in the era of free trade. Is that not  protectionism
6.	Abdulmalik Muhd Surajudeen SMS/08/POL/00331	SDT for Developing Countries: Theory and Practice	SDT under WTO regime remains a theory.
7.	Khadijah Fadhilah Isma’il SMS/09/POL/00805	The Doha Round Stalemate: SDT as a New Path for Revival	Answered series of questions to pose way out
8.	Audu Saidu SMS/09/POL/00992	SDT: EU Perspectives to Developing Countries	What does EU offer to its trading partners?
9.	Umar Bello Alkali SMS/08/POL/00399	SDT and Development Perspective: A Case of Agric Trade	Brings out SDT Components in Agric – Trade
10.	AbdulMushin Ahmed Nuhu SMS/09/POL/00865	Banana Trade: The Obstacles	What difficulties
11.	Mustapha Sagir SMS/09/POL/00906	SDT: Reform on TRIPS Agreement: What Prospects	Application of SDT to solve the problems caused by TRIPS on development
12.	Alhassan Alkasim Idris SMS/09/POL/00807	Global Trade and Crisis in Diseases Control in Developing Countries	Responses against big pharmaceutical companies and options
13.	Mukhtar Lawal Muazu SMS/08/POL/00372	Global Trade and Crisis in Medicine Development in Developing Countries	Monopolies have taken over control of our health
14.	Samirah Baban Mairam SMS/09/POL/00936	SDT Measures: Option for Trade in Services	Available SDT Provisions in Services-Short-Coming
15.	Auwalu Abdulkadir Jae SMS/06/POL/05738	Trade and Environment: Dangers and SDT Solutions	Shows how trade affects environment and the way out
16.	Muhammad El-Hamees Adam SMS/09/POL/00913	SDT and Global Textile Trade under WTO Regime	Textile Trade still under barrier in developed countries
17.	Bello Adamu Turaki SMS/09/POL/00872	Safeguard Mechanism Under WTO Regime: A Relief for Small Farmers	SDT for small farmers in Africa?
18.	Nafisat Ibrahim SMS/08/POL/00395	The Future of SDT Under WTO Regime	What would happen to SDT beyond WTO system
19.	Nafeesah Naseer Abubakar SMS/09/POL/00869	Trade Facilitation: Safety and Security	Establishing free – trade by WTO system
20.	Shamsu Dauda SMS/09/POL/00868	Liberalisation of Trade and Impact on Small Developing Countries	Weaker countries suffer more from trade liberalisation
21.	Ummi Abdu Bello SMS/08/POL/00322	Oil Trade: Can SDT Assist	Big Oil monopolies have big control of the market
22.	Ali Yahuza SMS/09/POL/00939	Communication Technology in International Trade	ICT facilitates global trade
23.	Ahmed Aminu Muhammad SMS/09/POL/00867	Agro-Business Corporate Interest and Farmers in Africa: Impact of Trade Relation in Cocoa Products	Cocoa and Cocoa products trade controlled by Agro-interests affect farmers in Africa in many ways

Methodological Observations

Except one student who worked on “global trade and crisis of medicine”, there is no search and application of primary materials in doing the work. In other words most of them have used existing materials, in some cases statistics to interprete the research questions through the theoretical premise created.

While social science investigation and analysis is welcome with primary data, contribution to understanding social phenomenon could also be made with re-interpretation of the available materials found. Indeed, much of the contribution to knowledge we now read in reputable international publications arise from review of the existing literature.

Nevertheless, I still feel that it is proper to encourage, especially less advance students to pursue their work with primary data. Of course there are limits for them to do that. For most of them, primary data is only a survey research. It must be recognized that with corruption common in development of knowledge today, survey research is more prevalent to corruption in these days.

Again most of them rely on the internet system. The internet system has its own problems. The point however, is to control these problems so that we continue to make maximum use of it. So, we are doing that.

M. M. Yusif

2011/2012 Session

07/03/2013