Gulf Research Center participates in the Global Trade Alert initiative of Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). The fourth report of the Global Trade Alert was published on the occasion of the Jeddah Economic Forum, which has been organized by GRC on February 13-16, 2010. It examines whether macroeconomic stabilisation has altered governments' tendencies towards protectionism. It sheds light on the extent, nature and possible harm done by discriminatory state measures taken since the global financial markets, and subsequently the global economy, went into free fall. It focuses, in particular, on commercial policy developments and prospects in the Gulf region. The principal findings of the report suggest that macroeconomic stabilisation has not dampened protectionism; rather, that the rate of protectionism is not out of line with what was experienced during 2009. We also learn that the types of protectionism used the most have not changed during the process of stabilisation and that, if anything, G20 governments have been responsible for a higher share of protectionist measures since stabilization began. The report contains articles about Gulf domestic energy pricing and industrialization, Gulf food security, Gulf trade flows and political conflict as well as an examination of Gulf trade with East and South Asia.

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