National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade

PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE

BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. 43-3AEK-6-80107 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-07090-2

Additional copies of this report are available from
National Academy Press,
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, D.C. 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu

Printed in the United States of America

Copyright 2000 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

National Academy of Sciences

National Academy of Engineering

Institute of Medicine

National Research Council

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

BOARD ON AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

T. KENT KIRK, Chair,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

DAVID H. BAKER,

University of Illinois, Urbana

SANDRA S. BATIE,

Michigan State University, East Lansing

MAY R. BERENBAUM,

University of Illinois, Urbana

ANTHONY S. EARL,

Quarles & Brady Law Firm, Madison, Wisconsin

ESSEX E. FINNEY, JR.,

Mitchellville, Maryland (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, retired)

CORNELIA B. FLORA,

Iowa State University, Ames

ROBERT T. FRALEY,

Monsanto Co., St. Louis, Missouri

GEORGE R. HALLBERG,

The Cadmus Group, Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts

RICHARD R. HARWOOD,

Michigan State University, East Lansing

GILLBERT A. LEVEILLE,

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

HARLEY W. MOON,

Iowa State University, Ames

WILLIAM L. OGREN,

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (U.S. Department of Agriculture, retired)

G. EDWARD SCHUH,

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

JOHN W. SUTTIE,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

THOMAS N. URBAN,

Des Moines, Iowa (Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., retired)

ROBERT P. WILSON,

Mississippi State University, Mississippi State

JAMES J. ZUICHES,

Washington State University, Pullman

Staff

WARREN R. MUIR, Executive Director (since June 1999)

MYRON F. UMAN, Acting Executive Director (through May 1999)

DAVID L. MEEKER, Director (since March 2000)

MICHAEL J. PHILLIPS, Director (through January 1999)

CHARLOTTE KIRK BAER, Acting Director (from February 1999 through February 2000) and Associate Director

SHIRLEY B. THATCHER, Administrative Assistant

Project Staff

LUCYNA K. KURTYKA, Project Officer (since November 1999)

MARY JANE LETAW, Project Officer (through October 1999)

KAREN L. IMHOF, Project Assistant

STEPHANIE PADGHAM, Project Assistant

ELAINE McGARRAUGH, Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

Preface

As the world economy has moved toward more open trade under the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), there has been an increasing focus on managing potential conflicts between a country's right to take measures to protect its citizens, production systems, and environment (including plant and animal species) from risks and the effects of such protection on trade. In the area of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations, the concern is that domestic regulations ostensibly designed as a means to protect plants, animals, or people may actually be used to protect domestic industries and interests. International standard-setting activities, the SPS Agreement of the Uruguay Round of GATT, and ongoing bilateral and multilateral negotiations are part of a process through which countries are attempting to manage conflicts between protective regulation in the SPS area and open trade.

Progressive trade liberalization has increased the importance of managing SPS issues (e.g., quarantine policies, product and process standards) between countries as they seek to protect human, animal, and plant life and health from biological and chemical risks, while simultaneously facilitating trade. The SPS Agreement, which went into effect in 1995, itself defines a set of principles for this management and provides a forum for settling disputes within the World Trade Organization framework. However, the operation of that set of principles will only be fully defined through experience under the agreement. Furthermore, the acceptable relationship between SPS measures and trade is the subject of ongoing negotiation

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

between countries through the standard-setting activities of international organizations and multilateral and bilateral trade discussions. Thus, we are in a period of active institutional innovation that is resulting in a revised set of international relationships.

In 1998, the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Research Council to organize a conference to address the roles of science, economics, and culture in agricultural trade policy. The conference was to focus on how scientific standards could be applied to international trade agreements in the post-Uruguay Round era but also take into account critical nonscientific factors surrounding SPS standards and related technical barriers to trade. Specifically, the conference was to focus on: (1) the critical roles and binding limitations of science in assessing SPS barriers to trade; (2) the critical roles and binding limitations of economics in assessing SPS barriers to trade; (3) the roles of values, other socioanthropological factors, and associated politics in determining SPS barriers to trade; and (4) an analytical framework for incorporating science, economics, values, and politics in SPS decision making.

The conference was held on January 25-27, 1999, at The National Academies' Beckman Center in Irvine, California. The participants focused on the roles of the biological and natural sciences, economics, sociology, politics, and culture, and approaches in understanding and evaluating differences in risk perception, assessment, and management across countries; the impact of SPS measures on plant, animal, and food safety; and the relationship between SPS measures and open trade.

This report presents a synopsis of the two-and-a half-day event. The overview, which was prepared by Julie Caswell, provides a summary of the broad range of issues identified by the speakers and participants of the conference. I would like to thank Julie for her outstanding contributions to this volume both in this summary and in her thoughtful evaluations of the papers. I would also like to thank Timothy Josling, Raymond A. Jussaume, Jr., Peter Kareiva, D. Warner North, and David Vogel who assured the effort would be a success through thoughtful insights in the conference design and significant contributions during the meeting.

The concepts presented in the overview are the result of many excellent ideas that grew out of formal presentations and group discussions during the conference. Chapters that follow reflect views and opinions of individual authors.

It is conference organizers' hope that the ideas contained in this document and summarized in the overview, enlighten and inform future approaches to ensuring that scientific, cultural, and economic considerations are reflected in SPS standards in international trade.

V. Kerry Smith

Center For Environmental and Resource Economic Policy

Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics

North Carolina State University

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many individuals contributed to organizing the conference, and to conference discussions and its proceedings. The Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals for their valuable assistance and contributions:

JULIE CASWELL, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

TIMOTHY JOSLING, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California

RAYMOND A. JUSSAUME, JR., Washington State University, Pullman

PETER KAREIVA, University of Washington, Seattle

D. WARNER NORTH, NorthWorks, Inc., Belmont, California

V. KERRY SMITH, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

DAVID VOGEL, University of California, Berkeley

The Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources would like to recognize the efforts of Mary Jane Letaw, Project Officer, during the early stages of this project. We also wish to thank Karen L. Imhof, Project Assistant, for her tireless assistance throughout this project, Stephanie Padgham, Project Assistant, for her work in the early stages of report preparation, Elaine MacGarraugh for editing the manuscript, and Laura Boschini, Project Assistant, for her efforts in preparing the final report for publication. Special thanks are due to Lucyna K. Kurtyka, Project Officer, for her dedication and continuing efforts in seeing this project through to completion.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council's Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the review of this report: Lawrence Busch, Michigan State University, East Lansing; Ricardo Godoy, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; Neal Hooker, Colorado State University, Fort Collins; D. Gale Johnson, University of Chicago, Illinois; G. Edward Schuh, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Daniel Simberloff, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Mitchell Small, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Daniel Sumner, University of California, Davis.

While the individuals listed above have provided constructive comments and suggestions, it must be emphasized that responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authors and the National Research Council.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
   

The SPS Agreement: Origin and Principal Provisions

 

35

   

Cost-Benefit Analysis of SPS Regulations

 

38

   

Is the SPS Agreement Congruent with Executive Branch Guidelines?

 

43

   

Conclusions

 

38

   

References

 

49

3.

 

An Overview of Risk Assessment
John D. Stark

 

51

   

Risk and Trade Barriers

 

52

   

What is Risk Assessment?

 

52

   

Selecting Toxicological Endpoints: What Do We Evaluate?

 

55

   

Deterministic Risk Assessment

 

56

   

Probabilistic Risk Assessment

 

57

   

Protecting Humans, Plants, and Wildlife

 

57

   

Risk Assessment of Genetically Engineered Organisms

 

61

   

How Can We Be Fooled? Unprovable Risks

 

61

   

Future Problems—Scientific Arguments About Risk Assessment

 

62

   

Conclusions

 

62

   

References

 

63

4.

 

Technological Risk and Cultures of Rationality
Sheila Jasanoff

 

65

   

Dimensions of Cross-National Variance

 

68

   

Varieties of Cultural Explanation

 

75

   

Conclusions

 

81

   

References

 

82

Part II:
Political And Ecological Economy

 

 

5.

 

Biological Impacts of Species Invasions: Implications for Policy Makers
Karen Goodell, Ingrid M. Parker, and Gregory S. Gilbert

 

87

   

Impact from an Anthropocentric Perspective

 

88

   

Case Study 1: The Grape Root Louse Phylloxera—The Importance of Recognizing and Regulating Vectors

 

89

   

Vectors

 

92

   

Impact from an Ecological Perspective

 

94

   

Case Study 2: The Mosquito Fish—When Anthropocentric and Ecological Perspectives Clash

 

97

   

Predicting Outcomes of Species Introductions

 

99

   

Case Study 3: The Crayfish Plague and the Signal Crayfish—Limits to Prediction When Species Interact Synergistically

 

105

   

Setting Priorities for Management of Invasive Species

 

108

   

Conclusions

 

109

   

Acknowledgements

 

110

   

References

 

110

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

6.

 

Risk Management and the World Trading System: Regulating International Trade Distortions Caused by National Sanitary and Phytosanitary Policies
David G. Victor

 

118

   

Introduction

 

119

   

The SPS Agreement: Major Elements

 

120

   

International Standards

 

128

   

Other WTO Agreements: GATT 1994 and the TBT Agreement

 

137

   

The System at Work: Three Cases

 

139

   

Analysis of the System at Work

 

151

   

Summary

 

165

   

References

 

168

7.

 

Accounting For Consumers' Preferences in International Trade Rules
Jean-Christophe Bureau and Stephan Marette

 

170

   

Sanitary and Technical Barriers

 

170

   

Technical and Cultural Differences and Domestic Regulations

 

173

   

Accounting for Consumer Concerns

 

180

   

What are the Solutions for Reconciling Consumer Concerns and International Trade Rules?

 

182

   

Economic Analysis and the Settlement of Disputes

 

191

   

Conclusions

 

193

   

References

 

194

Part III:
Case Studies

 

 

8.

 

Case Study 1: Meat Slaughtering and Processing Practices

 

201

   

The Danish Approach to Food Safety Issues Related to Pork Products
Bent Nielsen

 

201

   

Danish Consumers' Perspectives on Food Safety

 

201

   

Consumer Requirements of Danish Meat

 

202

   

Welfare

 

204

   

Conclusions

 

205

   

An Update on the Danish Salmonella Reduction Program

 

205

   

References

 

209

   

International Harmonization under the SPS Agreement
Bruce A. Silverglade

 

210

   

References

 

216

9.

 

Case Study 2: Plant Quarantines and Hass Avocados

 

217

   

Role of Science in Solving Pest Quarantine Problems: Hass Avocado Case Study
Walther Enkerlin Hoeflich

 

217

   

Methodology

 

218

   

Results and Discussion

 

221

   

Conclusions

 

226

   

General Considerations

 

226

   

References

 

226

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

TABLES, FIGURES, AND BOXES

Tables

Table 3-1

 

Acute LD50 Values of Selected Common Chemicals

 

54

Table 3-2

 

Pesticide Residues in Agricultural Commodities, 1997

 

58

Table 5-1

 

Counts of Plant Species Native to the United States That Have a Known Economic Importance

 

92

Table 6-1

 

Acceptances of the Codex Alimentarius Commodity Standards

 

134

Table 8-1

 

Monitoring Results of the Salmonella Reduction Program

 

208

Table 8-2

 

Special Slaughter Fees per Finisher

 

209

Table 9-1

 

Statistical Analysis of Hass Avocado Fruit Fly Infestation Levels in Relation to Percentage of Dry Matter

 

222

Table 9-2

 

Susceptibility of Hass Avocado to A. ludens, A. serpentina, and A. striata—Forced Infestations in Fruits Attached to the Tree and in Fruits at Different Time Intervals after Harvest (Uruapan, Michoacan, 1993–1994)

 

224

Figures

Figure 2-1

 

A Partial Equilibrium Model of the Welfare Effects of Alternative Import Protocols

 

40

Figure 3-1

 

Dose-Response Relationship

 

54

Figure 5-1

 

Frequency Histogram of the log Response Ratio (lnRR) for Ant Impacts

 

96

Figure 5-2

 

Worldwide Distribution of Gambusia affinis

 

98

Figure 5-3

 

Mean Effect Sizes of Insect Invaders on Resident Confamilial Species Versus More Distantly Related Species

 

104

Figure 6-1

 

Elaboration of Food Safety Standards and Other Guidelines by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its Subsidiary Bodies

 

130

Figure 9-1

 

Case Study: Hass Avocado Background Chart

 

220

Figure 9-2

 

A. ludens, A. serpentina, and A. striata—Forced Laboratory Infestation of Hass Avocados (Uruapan, Michoacan, 1993–1994)

 

222

Figure 9-3

 

Seasonal Fluctuation of Anastrepha ludens Populations and Minimum and Maximum Temperatures in the Hass Avocado Production Region of Michoacan, 1993–1994

 

225

Figure 9-4

 

Seasonal Fluctuations of Anastrepha ludens Populations and Hass Avocado Harvest Period in Michoacan, 1993–1994

 

225

Figure 9-5

 

Role of Science in Solving Quarantine Pest Problems

 

227

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×

Box

Box 7-1

 

Methods for Estimating the Benefits of Sanitary and Technical Regulations

 

190

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R12
Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R13
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2000. Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9868.
×
Page R14
Next: Overview »
Incorporating Science, Economics, and Sociology in Developing Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in International Trade: Proceedings of a Conference Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $70.00 Buy Ebook | $54.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The rapid expansion of international trade has brought to the fore issues of conflicting national regulations in the area of plant, animal, and human health. These problems include the concern that regulations designed to protect health can also be used for protection of domestic producers against international competition. At a time when progressive tariff reform has opened up markets and facilitated trade, in part responding to consumer demands for access to a wide choice of products and services at reasonable prices, closer scrutiny of regulatory measures has become increasingly important. At the same time, there are clear differences among countries and cultures as to the types of risk citizens are willing to accept. The activities of this conference were based on the premise that risk analyses (i.e., risk assessment, management, and communication) are not exclusively the domain of the biological and natural sciences; the social sciences play a prominent role in describing how people in different contexts perceive and respond to risks. Any effort to manage sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues in international trade must integrate all the sciences to develop practices for risk assessment, management, and communication that recognize international diversity in culture, experience, and institutions.

Uniform international standards can help, but no such norms are likely to be acceptable to all countries. Political and administrative structures also differ, causing differences in approaches and outcomes even when basic aims are compatible. Clearly there is considerable room for confusion and mistrust. The issue is how to balance the individual regulatory needs and approaches of countries with the goal of promoting freer trade. This issue arises not only for SPS standards but also in regard to regulations that affect other areas such as environmental quality, working conditions, and the exercise of intellectual property rights.

This conference focused on these issues in the specific area of SPS measures. This area includes provisions to protect plant and animal health and life and, more generally, the environment, and regulations that protect humans from foodborne risks. The Society for Risk Analysis defines a risk as the potential for realization of unwanted, adverse consequences to human life, health, property, or the environment; estimation of risk is usually based on the expected value of the conditional probability of the event occurring times the consequence of the event given that it has occurred.

The task of this conference and of this report was to elucidate the place of science, culture, politics, and economics in the design and implementation of SPS measures and in their international management. The goal was to explore the critical roles and the limitations of the biological and natural sciences and the social sciences, such as economics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and political science in the management of SPS issues and in judging whether particular SPS measures create unacceptable barriers to international trade. The conference's objective also was to consider the elements that would compose a multidisciplinary analytical framework for SPS decision making and needs for future research.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!