Groupe de recherche sur l'intégration continentale (GRIC)

Bon Anniversaire NAFTA : The elusive and asymmetrical benefits of a decade of North American integration

2005-11-07T12:19:00Z

Daniel Drache, « Bon Anniversaire NAFTA : The elusive and asymmetrical benefits of a decade of North American integration », Colloque Canada-Mexico Big Picture Seminar, York University, 7 et 8 novembre 2005.

« Ten years after the signing of NAFTA there is no forward momentum nor urgent need to proceed
to the next stage in integration. Increasing trade facilitation, improving the system of trade
dispute panels, and reducing the transaction costs of a security-first border remain a set of
generalized concerns for all three governments. Further integration kinds of projects have met
powerful opposition from the US Congress. The Central American Free Trade Agreement
(CAFTA) received Congressional consent by the barest majority after months of White House
arm-twisting and vote-buying. The Bush Administration is preoccupied with Homeland Security
and, as the quagmire in Iraq costs more American lives and consumes billions of tax dollars,
there are few incentives for Washington to gear up for a battle with the Republican Congress to
broaden and deepen North American integration. Mexican and Canadian public opinion has
expressed little enthusiasm for a big next step and have a lot of doubts and reservations about a
second round of North American integration. »

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From Doha to Kananaskis : The Future of the World Trading System and the Crisis of Governance

2002-03-01T12:34:00Z

Daniel Drache et Sylvia Ostry, « From Doha to Kananaskis : The Future of the World Trading System and the Crisis of Governance », Colloque From Doha to Kananaskis : The Future of the World Trading System and the Crisis of Governance, York University, 1er au 3 mars 2002

« This chapter highlights some of the main themes that emerged from the
discussions at the conference “From Doha to Kananaskis : The Future of the
World Trading System and the Crisis of Governance”, Toronto, March 1-3,
2002. The conference was jointly organized by the Robarts Centre for
Canadian Studies at York University and the Munk Centre for International
Studies at the University of Toronto, with support from the Department of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade. As these discussions were held
under Chatham House rules, there is no attribution of statements to
individual participants. In any event, the choice and elaboration of themes
from an event such as this – a three-day conference involving academics,
government officials and members of civil society that elicited a spirited
debate on every issue raised – necessarily reflects the editorial judgement of
those holding the pen. Responsibility for the text thus rests with the authors ;
the views expressed here are not to be attributed to the organizing
institutions or to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Papers from the conference are available online at www.robarts.yorku.ca.
Daniel Drache is Director of the Robarts Centre, York University ; Sylvia
Ostry is Distinguished Research Fellow at the Munk Centre, University of
Toronto. The assistance of Dan Ciuriak, Senior Economic Advisor, Trade
and Economic Policy and Trade Litigation, Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade, in developing the text is gratefully acknowledged. »

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The Post Washington Consensus : The Market Disconnect and the Public Reconnect

2002-02-12T12:54:00Z

Daniel Drache, « The Post Washington Consensus : The Market Disconnect and the Public Reconnect », Colloque Governance and the Public Domain in Contrasting Economies : The Cases of India and Canada, CRRID campus Chandigarh, 12 au 14 février 2001.

« After the protests in Seattle, Prague, Washington1 and Windsor, popular sovereignty and national
sovereignty again have become powerful forces on the global stage. These agenda-setting fundamentals
challenge the Washington Consensus goals and objectives of zero inflation, broadening market access
and promoting privatization by governments everywhere. The mood swing today is away from reliance
on narrow market-led strategies and one of the casualties is that the Washington Consensus is no longer
a ‘framework agreement' supported unqualifiedly by policy makers everywhere. Significantly, even
John Williamson, who first coined the term, has criticized this neo-liberal framework of public policymaking
as both inappropriate and too rigid for developing counties. Its largest failure is that it has not
produced the growth and jobs expected. He is not alone. Mainstream economists, such as Joseph
Stiglitz, Dany Rodrik, Sylvia Ostry, John Helliwell and Paul Krugman, have also questioned the
appropriateness of market fundamentalism as the developmental strategy for Southern countries. After
close to two decades of triumphant market policies, new economic and social fundamentals for a
different kind of consensus are needed to manage the global economy. »

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