Global Agenda

The report argues that the world trading system, centered on the WTO, is failing to meet the needs of 21st-century private enterprise due to slow regulatory evolution. While multinational enterprises (MNEs) from both advanced and emerging economies seek market access, rule of law, and intellectual property protection, they have increasingly turned to bilateral and regional deals over stalled multilateral processes. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face disproportionately high 'trade costs' and non-tariff barriers, with significant financing gaps in developing countries where 55-65% of formal SMEs are underserved. The report highlights a structural shift from manufacturing to services, noting that services now generate a larger share of value-added trade than manufactures. Additionally, it warns that the proliferation of non-science-based private standards and increased banking compliance costs under Basel III risk excluding SMEs from global trade and finance.

• Multinational enterprises (MNEs) from both advanced and emerging economies share the same core priorities in trade negotiations: market access, rule of law, a stable business environment, and intellectual property protection.
• MNEs have largely lost interest in the WTO because multilateral processes are not delivering results, leading them to prioritize bilateral and regional agreements.
• SMEs are significantly hindered by 'trade costs'—the total cost of delivering a product from factory to consumer—which can exceed the cost of production.
• In developing economies, access to finance is the primary limitation for SMEs, with 55-65% of formal SMEs being unserved or underserved.
• There is a global trend of 'premature deindustrialization' where the share of manufacturing in GDP is shrinking in low-, middle-, and high-income countries, while the importance of services is rising earlier in the development process.
• Private standards, while intended to ensure safety, risk marginalizing small companies and developing countries due to a lack of harmonization and the use of non-science-based criteria.
• Post-financial crisis banking regulations, specifically Basel III, have increased the cost of trade finance and created a risk of financial exclusion for SMEs due to high compliance costs.
• In the United States, SMEs accounted for approximately 35% of total goods' export value in 2013, but they face significant burdens from non-tariff barriers and complex rules of origin under NAFTA.

APA

Dadush, U., Gardoqui, B. L., Logan, C., Manson, A., Schwab, S., & Thorstensen, V. (2015). Global Agenda. World Economic Forum. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Trade_II_2015.pdf

Chicago

Dadush, Uri, Beatriz Leycegui Gardoqui, Christopher Logan, Alex Manson, Susan Schwab, and Vera Thorstensen. Global Agenda. World Economic Forum, 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Trade_II_2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dadush |first1=Uri |last2=Gardoqui |first2=Beatriz Leycegui |last3=Logan |first3=Christopher |last4=Manson |first4=Alex |last5=Schwab |first5=Susan |last6=Thorstensen |first6=Vera |title=Global Agenda |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=September 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Trade_II_2015.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dadush2015global, author = {Dadush, Uri and Gardoqui, Beatriz Leycegui and Logan, Christopher and Manson, Alex and Schwab, Susan and Thorstensen, Vera}, title = {{Global Agenda}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Trade_II_2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }