Trade Facilitation
Dr. Andrew Grainger, Nottingham University Business School
Trade facilitation concerns itself with eliminating “red-tape“ in international trade. It looks at how procedures and controls governing the movement of goods across national borders can be improved to reduce associated cost burdens and maximise efficiency while safeguarding legitimate regulatory objectives. Economist may describe trade facilitation in terms of reducing the transaction costs between business operators and regulatory authorities in cross-border operations.
Trade facilitation has become a topic with considerable policy momentum, especially in the context of trade negotiations and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Customs reform (e.g. the European Union’s Modernised Customs Code), Supply Chain Security (e.g. the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework of Standards) and economic development, where trade facilitation is seen as a means towards ensuring access to the world’s markets.
Andrew Grainger, an experienced academic and practitioner in this exciting field, will be outlining recent developments in trade facilitation with focus on the conflict between operational and institutional variables. In his discussion he: raises the question of whether the current institutions concerned with trade policy have the necessary capabilities to apply themselves to operational issues adequately; and outlines the potential for an interdisciplinary research agenda.
About the speaker
Dr Andrew Grainger is an experienced trade facilitation practitioner and academic. He is currently based at Nottingham University Business School where he is a Lecturer in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. In previous roles Andrew worked as Deputy Director at SITPRO, the former UK trade facilitation agency, and Secretary for EUROPRO, the umbrella body for European trade facilitation organisations. On a number of occasions he has worked as staff consultant with the World Bank Group. In a free-lance capacity he has also supplied consulting services to the European Commission, the European Parliament, UK’s HM Revenue and Customs, UK’s Businesslink.gov.uk programme, the government of Lao PDR, the government of Ethiopia, as well as a number of private sector companies and research organisations. Andrew is also an editor for the World Customs Journal and an active member in the International Network of Customs Universities. Ongoing research projects include an investigation into the risks and resilience of UK’s ports as well as the trade compliance costs in the UK’s meat trade. His PhD thesis on Supply Chain Management and Trade Facilitation was awarded the Palgrave Macmillan Prize in Maritime Economics and Logistics 2005-2008 for best PhD thesis. Andrew is married with one son. He is fluent in English and German. Recent publications include: Grainger, A. and G. McLinden (forthcoming). “Trade facilitation and development” in Handbook of Trade Policy for Development. A. Lukauskas, R. M. Stern and G. Zanini, Oxford University Press. Grainger, A. (2012). “Trade Facilitation” in Ashgate Research Companion to International Trade Policy. Ken Heydon and Stephen Woolcock. Aldershot, Ashgate. Grainger, A (2011) “Trade Facilitation: a conceptual review” Journal of World Trade, Vo.45 No.1, February Grainger, A (2011) “Developing the case for trade facilitation in practice”, World Customs Journal, Volume 5, Issue2, September Grainger, A. (2010). “The Role of the Private Sector in Border Management Reform” in Border Management Modernization. G. McLinden, E. Fanta, D. Widdowson and T. Doyle. Washington, World Bank: 157-174. Grainger, A (2008) “Customs and Trade Facilitation: from concepts to implementation” World Customs Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 1, April Grainger, A (2007) “Supply Chain Security: adding to a complex environment” World Customs Journal, Vol. 1, Issue 2, October
Venue: 4th Floor GG
Date: 24 May 2012
Time: 12:30 - 01:30 CET
