| Resumen: |
Whether or not trade reforms benefit the poor depends not just on the ability of countries to expand their markets and procure cheaper inputs but also on access, compensation, regulation and promotion policies:
(i) measures to make it easier for lower-income producers or exporters to participate effectively in stable export flows (access);
(ii) measures to offset any negative effects of reforms on the most vulnerable groups (compensation);
(iii) measures to improve the regulatory framework with a view to correcting distortions (regulation), and
(iv) productive development measures to improve the productivity, workforce quality and networking capabilities of SMEs so that they can scale up production and capitalize on trade promotion measures while improving their access to financing (promotion).
Measures of this kind, known as complementary measures, are at the heart of the studies presented here. The recent empirical evidence shows that the distributive effects of trade opening, if unaccompanied by other policies to secure a balanced distribution of its benefits, may actually be detrimental to the welfare of the poorest segments of the population. |
