. TIMING AND RELATIONSHIP
TO OTHER INSTRUMENTS
When should a TPF be conducted? The simple
answer to that question is, at the time when the
reception of its message may have maximum impact
in the beneficiary country. This would ideally come a
time when there is a widespread recognition that the
policies pursued to date have yet to deliver the kind of
results that policymakers and the public have hoped
for, and they are prepared to consider alternatives. The
more complicated answer to that question requires
that one take into account any other reviews that may
already be underway. The best timing for a TPF would
complement rather than compete with these other
reviews.
As summarized in table 24, the most important of
these other exercises are the Trade Policy Reviews
(TPRs) conducted for all members of the World Trade
Organization,
and the Diagnostic Trade Integration
Studies (DTIS) for least developed countries. While
the purposes and contents of these studies differ in
various ways, there are several respects in which they
are similar to a TPF. In all three cases, the examination
requires a wide and deep exploration of a country’s
laws, policies, objectives, challenges, opportunities,
and results. The investigative procedures pursued
in all three of these exercises are similar, involving a
combination of desk work, extensive interviewing, and
validation procedures.
