A Shifting Mandate: International Ownership, Global Fragmentation and a Case for Deeper Integration Under the WTO

Abstract

This paper reviews several key implications of international investment and global supply chain fragmentation for the multilateral trading system. Based on existing economic research, I identify a two-fold challenge for policy makers: first, to leverage the trade-liberalizing potential of global fragmentation at the multilateral level; and second, to counter the potential for opportunistic manipulation of behind-the-border policy instruments.