34
Marconini and SauvĂŠ
Figure 2.1
Checklist for Trade Policy Formulation, Thailand
existing commitments
WTO
2
India
Japan
ASEAN AFAS AIA AEC
FTA and strategic partnership
3
others
1 existing domestic laws
China
policy formulation
9
policy decision making
yes or no
4 policy framework
liberalization plan/policies
private sector
7
5 6 academic studies (liberalization and development) background studies
8 internal preparatory studies (position)
government academic NGO stakeholder consultation
Source: Vonkhorporn 2008. Note: ASEAN = Association of Southeast Asian Nations. AFAS = ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services. AIA = ASEAN investment area. AEC = ASEAN Economic Community. FTA = free trade agreement. NGO = nongovernmental organization.
that the government must take into account and balance in the negotiating process. It may also be helpful to confront domestic service exporters with the interests of consumers, producers, service importers, and public interest groups in public debates. The economic and political consequences of trade and investment liberalization in the service trade and the related regulatory reform issues should thereby be clarified. Such debates may help address misunderstandings in the public policy discourse over liberalization and reform issues. The mix of stakeholders should therefore be broad and representative, even though this may make debate more controversial. The mix may also have to show a balance between the subnational and the national, depending on the weight of institutions in each case. A balance must also be realized between institutions that are more horizontal (for example, a chamber of commerce representing several sectoral interests) and institutions that are more narrowly sectoral (for example, a banking federation or professional service associations). However, as in government, it is still relatively rare for the private sector, particularly in developing