World Integrated Trade Solution

Last updated

The World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) is a trade software provided by the World Bank for users to query several international trade databases.

Contents

WITS allows the user to query trade statistics (export, import, re-exports and re-imports) from the UN's repository of official international trade statistics and relevant analytical tables (UN COMTRADE), tariff and non-tariff measures data from UNCTAD trade analysis and information system, tariff and bound tariff information from WTO's integrated data base for applied tariffs and imports, and from the WTO's consolidated tariff schedules database for the bound duties of all WTO members. WITS also has a module called global preferential trade agreement to search and browse free trade agreements. It also has modules to calculate several trade indicators and perform tariff cut simulation. [1] [2]

WITS has multiple sections, including summary trade statistics by country on total exports, imports, export/import partners, top product groups exported/imported, top exporters and importers in the World, derived analytical databases, and a WITS application allowing the user to use the underlying data to generate custom trade statistics and indicators and tariff cut simulations.

Summary trade statistics by country

The trade data for each country is divided into four sections. The first section is the country profile summary, and provides summary of the key indicators in trade, tariffs, trade indicators, top export and import partners of the country, and top exported products. The next section is by trading partner and provides the top export or import partners of the country with the trade value, partner share. The final section is by product group, providing details of exports and imports of the country by various standard product groups like by HS sector, SITC revision 2 standard product groups, and UNCTAD's stages of processing. Trade Statistics By Country

Advanced analysis

The second section of WITS allows users to perform advanced analysis and select their own set of country and country groups, product and product groups, bulk download data, analyze trade competitiveness of countries and perform tariff cut simulation. The trade outcomes module provides a flexible array of options. These options include the selection of countries of interest, product classifications, the usage of reported or mirrored data, and the years of the analysis. In addition, users can also create ad-hoc country and product groups or—when relevant—investigate specific trading partners. It is also possible to generate only a subset of indicators and get comparative data on peer countries. The user's guideline document provides specific details for these options.

As an alternative to the indicator by indicator analysis, the software offers a built-in set of choices that the user can automatically employ to generate the set of indicators by section for the country and the year of choice. The output is data for each indicator along with a companion visualization. WITS User Manual

Trade indicators

WITS allows the user to calculate and visualize the following trade outcome indicators:

Trade outcomes indicators

WITS has a trade outcomes indicators module that can be used to review the country-level performance of exports along various dimensions. The trade outcomes tool follows the analytical framework developed in the World Bank's trade competitiveness diagnostic toolkit. It provides indicators along four different dimensions of trade performance: (i) the composition, orientation, and growth of exports and imports, (ii) the degree of export diversification across products and markets, (iii) the level of sophistication of a country's main exports, and (iv) the survival rate of its export relationships. The toolkit can be used to assess the competitiveness of a country's overall basket of products as well as specific traded sectors. It facilitates the identification of the primary constraints to improved trade competitiveness and the policy responses to overcome these constraints.

Global value chain analysis

WITS has introduced a module for global value chain analysis using the underlying UN Comtrade data on gross exports and imports. The module construct trade indicators related to country's participation in global value chains. Using the informed classifications based on Sturgeon and Memedovic (2011) paper.[ citation needed ] The module allows measuring global value chains related performance through: (i) country analysis, (ii) regional analysis, (iii) inter-regional analysis, and analysis of (iv) individual products of interest.

Related Research Articles

The Generalized System of Preferences, or GSP, is a preferential tariff system which provides tariff reduction on various products. The concept of GSP is very different from the concept of "most favored nation" (MFN). MFN status provides equal treatment in the case of tariff being imposed by a nation but in case of GSP differential tariff could be imposed by a nation on various countries depending upon factors such as whether it is a developed country or a developing country. Both the rules comes under the purview of WTO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-tariff barriers to trade</span> Other types of trade barriers

Non-tariff barriers to trade are trade barriers that restrict imports or exports of goods or services through mechanisms other than the simple imposition of tariffs. Such barriers are subject to controversy and debate, as they may comply with international rules on trade yet serve protectionist purposes.

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, also known as the Harmonized System (HS) of tariff nomenclature is an internationally standardized system of names and numbers to classify traded products. It came into effect in 1988 and has since been developed and maintained by the World Customs Organization (WCO), an independent intergovernmental organization based in Brussels, Belgium.

Trade can be a key factor in economic development. The prudent use of trade can boost a country's development and create absolute gains for the trading partners involved. Trade has been touted as an important tool in the path to development by prominent economists. However trade may not be a panacea for development as important questions surrounding how free trade really is and the harm trade can cause domestic infant industries to come into play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Market access</span> Ability to sell goods and services across borders

In international trade, market access refers to a company's ability to enter a foreign market by selling its goods and services in another country. Market access is not the same as free trade, because market access is normally subject to conditions or requirements, whereas under ideal free trade conditions goods and services can circulate across borders without any barriers to trade. Expanding market access is therefore often a more achievable goal of trade negotiations than achieving free trade.

Trade in services statistics are economic statistics which detail international trade in services. They received a great deal of focus at the advent of services negotiations which took place under the Uruguay Round, which became part of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, one of the four principal pillars of the World Trade Organization (WTO) trade treaty, also called the "WTO Agreement".

Foreign affiliate trade statistics (FATS), also known as transnational corporation (TNC) data details the economic operations of foreign direct investment-based enterprises.

The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is an international treaty of the World Trade Organization. It was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and entered into force with the establishment of the WTO on 1 January 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certificate of origin</span> International trade document

A Certificate of Origin or Declaration of Origin is a document widely used in international trade transactions which attests that the product listed therein has met certain criteria to be considered as originating in a particular country. A certificate of origin / declaration of origin is generally prepared and completed by the exporter or the manufacturer, and may be subject to official certification by an authorized third party. It is often submitted to a customs authority of the importing country to justify the product's eligibility for entry and/or its entitlement to preferential treatment. Guidelines for issuance of Certificates of Origin by chambers of commerce globally are issued by the International Chamber of Commerce.

Success in export markets for developed and developing country firms is increasingly affected by the ability of countries to support an environment which promotes efficient and low cost trade services and logistics. Trade facilitation and economic development policies reflect the idea that trade can be a powerful engine for accelerating economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction.

The revealed comparative advantage is an index used in international economics for calculating the relative advantage or disadvantage of a certain country in a certain class of goods or services as evidenced by trade flows. It is based on the Ricardian comparative advantage concept.

The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Agreements Database (APTIAD) is a resource for researchers and policymakers in the area of international trade and investment. The online database allows searches in two ways. One relates to the agreements themselves where users can search by agreements, members, key terms, types and scopes of agreements and their status. Another possibility is to search publications relevant to regional integration and trade agreements. For easier use of the database, users can download a glossary of related terms from the website.

In economics, a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) is a two-tiered tariff system that combines import quotas and tariffs to regulate import products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries</span> Preferential trade agreement signed in 1988 by 42 developing countries


The Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (G.S.T.P) is a preferential trade agreement, currently encompassing 42 members ("participants"), signed on 13 April 1988 with the aim of increasing trade between developing countries. It was negotiated within the framework of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The Agreement entered into force on 19 April 1989 and was notified to the then General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), predecessor of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on 25 September 1989. The 42 members of GSTP include 7 LDCs as well.

Comext is a statistical database on trade of goods managed by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Commission. It is an important indicator of the performance of the European Union (EU) economy, because it focuses on the size and the evolution of imports and exports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Observatory of Economic Complexity</span> Data visualization platform

The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) is an online data visualization and distribution platform for international trade data designed and owned by Datawheel. Through interactive visualizations, the OEC aims to make global trade data accessible and understandable.

The international trade of fine art is most precisely defined as the trade across nations of unique, non-reproducible works by an artist. The art trade contradicts typical international trade models since it is a culturally significant good. It is not treated by consumers the same way any other commodity would because of the aesthetic value that is unique to each piece. Despite existing as a finite physical piece, unique art is still considered intellectual property. This sparks the debate as to whether art exports should be restricted for nationalistic and cultural reasons, or liberalized for the sake of a healthier international market.

Trade data, or import and export statistics, consist of statistical data about international trade, typically organized by time period, country, and commodity.

The Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) succeeded the Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA), and facilitated the gradual dismantling of quotas for world textile trade that the MFA had put into place. Thus, the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC) stipulated a systematic and progressive elimination of the Multi Fiber Arrangement (MFA) over a span of ten years. This process culminated on 1 January 2005.

References

  1. "World integrated trade solution (WITS) | Map and Data Library". mdl.library.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  2. Gourlay, Kayla. "InfoGuides: International Commerce and Policy (ICP): Find Data". infoguides.gmu.edu. Retrieved 2023-03-07.