Services Trade (UoA)

The course is designed to build deep understanding of the local and global economic importance of the services sector. The course typically has a strong focus on the role of services in international trade and investment flows and the movement of natural persons. Close attention is given to international governance for services, for instance, in the WTO and in other multilateral organisations, and to trends in services governance in a variety of regional, bilateral and plurilateral intergovernmental agreements. The course provides a 21st Century approach to the role of services in a variety of contexts, such as, in global and regional value chains, in e-commerce, and in transformation towards the digital economy. The course also examines the vital role services and services trade can play in assisting with the economic growth and development of emerging and developing economies. The course includes a discussion of appropriate strategies for all countries, including developing countries to capture the benefits from trade in services. Identifying and addressing the key constraints to services sector competitiveness is a key theme of the course, including in the digital era. The course focusses on a number of services sectors that are highly traded, such as transport, distribution, financial, telecommunications, and logistics. It also provides some focus on services sectors of heightened interest to developing countries, for example, IT and business services outsourcing, professional services and tourism.