An Exploratory Study on the Restrictiveness of Antidumping Measures in Regional Trade Agreements

Although traditional trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas have been significantly eliminated with the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the expansion of regional trade agreements (RTAs), the effects of trade liberalization have been greatly impeded by the abuse of anti-dumping measures. Therefore, many countries have introduced various WTO-plus provisions to strengthen the procedural and substantive requirements for the imposition of anti-dumping duties in their RTAs. This study examined anti-dumping provisions included in 320 RTAs in effect and quantified the degree to which anti-dumping measures are restricted in RTAs using a newly developed Anti-dumping Restrictiveness Index. In addition, an exploratory analysis was conducted to identify the factors that influence the restriction of anti-dumping measures in RTAs using the index as the dependent variable. Since the 2000s, there has been a growing movement to restrict anti-dumping measures in RTAs, and it has been noted that various WTO-plus rules have been introduced to enhance the transparency of the investigation process. The results of the regression analysis showed that the degree of integration, the size of regional trade, the members' level in economic development, the frequency of anti-dumping measures, and the regional characteristics have an influence on the restriction of anti-dumping measures in RTAs.