Textiles trade and the developing countries : eliminating the multifibre arrangement in the 1990s

Abstract

The papers contained in this volume deal with two central issues. The first is the positive question of the effects of the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA) on developing countries. The second is the normative question of how to phase out the MFA and integrate textiles and clothing trade in the normal GATT rules in the context of the current Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations. The major effects of the MFA considered are the direct, trade-restricting effects of the bilateral quotas, their effects on prices of textiles and clothing in restricted and unrestricted markets, and hence on national and global welfare; the effects on fiber trade; the various inefficiencies introduced by the MFA and its administration; and finally, the implications of the arrangement for growth in the developing economies. These effects are discussed at a general level in the first part of this report. The second part contains a discussion of the effects of the MFA on particular countries. In considering the options for reforming the MFA, it was recognized that the successive arrangements reflected the pressures placed on governments by powerful interest groups, and that these pressures had to be taken into account in formulating proposals for policy reform. In this context a wide range of reform proposals was considered.

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