WTO Reforms Brazil has proposed annual instead of biennial ministerial meetings. The U.S. and EU agree with this plan, arguing it would make the WTO more responsive, and provide the organization with more current guidance. Meanwhile, the IMF has suggested stronger coordination between the bank and the WTO, a position likely endorsed by Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala since she worked at the World Bank. However, the larger problem at the WTO is that it has become captive to developing countries wanting the organization to act more like a global aid agency than a trade liberalization organization. This mission creep is what has threatened the WTO’s relevance. Cash in Lieu of Commodities The Biden Administration is reported...
From WPI Consulting
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.