Anti-dumping and market access: A note

For the duration of the currently stalled round of trade negotiations (the Doha Development Round) attention focused on the plight of developing countries under the current trade rules. One of the aspects under discussion is market access, and in particular the (ab)use of anti-dumping measures to limit market access so that the progress made towards trade liberalisation is eroded. A popular assertion is that developed countries use anti-dumping measures to protect their own industries against competition from developing countries. Part I of this short research note briefly takes stock of developments in this regard since the inception of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995. How has the use of anti-dumping (AD) measures evolved? Who are the most active initiators of AD investigations and who are the victims? What is the spread between initiations of AD investigations and the actual imposition of AD measures? In Part II we consider selected AD issues, such as the determination of dumping margins and injury, administrative discretion, and the longevity of AD decrees.