¿Hacia una Política Comercial Multipropósito?

This research paper by Nicolas Lamp explores the emergence of 'multi-purpose trade policy,' a paradigm shift where trade policy is no longer focused solely on economic efficiency and liberalization, but is instead used as a tool to achieve broader goals such as climate mitigation, national security, and labor rights.

• A new paradigm called 'multi-purpose trade policy' is emerging, which moves beyond the goal of an efficient international division of labor through trade liberalization. This approach integrates other fundamental policy objectives directly into trade policy, including the mitigation of the climate crisis, safeguarding national security, creating resilient supply chains, addressing inequality, and promoting labor rights.
• The shift toward multi-purpose trade policy is a response to a crisis in globalization, where the traditional view of globalization as an inevitable force for the common good is being challenged by narratives highlighting job losses, increased inequality, the fragility of global supply chains exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the risk of over-dependence on untrustworthy trading partners, exemplified by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• Major developed economies are leading this transition. The European Union's Director General for Trade, Sabine Weyand, views trade as a tool for broader goals, while US Trade Representative Katherine Tai argues that the pursuit of efficiency created a fragile global economy. The US is implementing this through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, focusing on 'resilience,' 'inclusion,' and 'sustainability,' and by prioritizing national security in its relationship with China.
• Implementing multi-purpose trade policy at the national level presents four primary challenges: balancing incommensurable goals (where economic, security, and climate objectives cannot be reduced to a single metric); overcoming 'siloed' knowledge between government departments; determining if trade instruments are the most effective tools for non-trade goals; and deciding which authority holds decision-making power.
• Internationally, this shift is leading to a decline in the importance of multilateral norms and the World Trade Organization (WTO) in favor of unilateral or 'minilateral' approaches. States are increasingly adopting a 'do whatever is necessary' attitude, leading to friction with WTO rules, such as the use of national content requirements for climate subsidies or the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
• There is a divide between developed and developing countries regarding this policy shift. Developing nations are skeptical of goals like labor standards, fearing they are pretexts for protectionism (e.g., US tariffs on steel and aluminum). Conversely, developing countries argue they have long advocated for trade to focus on development and food security, goals that are often absent from the new frameworks of developed nations.
• The role of the WTO is becoming fragmented and varies by topic: it has potential for creating formal laws regarding sustainability (e.g., the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies), could serve as a policy coordination forum for pandemic response, and may act as a debate forum for security measures, but is unlikely to play a prominent role in labor rights.

APA

Lamp, N. (n.d.). ¿Hacia una Política Comercial Multipropósito? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17102

Chicago

Lamp, Nicolas. ¿Hacia una Política Comercial Multipropósito? International Institute for Sustainable Development, n.d. https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17102.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lamp |first1=Nicolas |title=¿Hacia una Política Comercial Multipropósito? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |url=https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17102 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lampndhacia, author = {Lamp, Nicolas}, title = {{¿Hacia una Política Comercial Multipropósito?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/es/node/17102}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }