This dissertation examines the effects of trade liberalization policies (represented by membership in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization on selected Least Developed Countries' (LDCs) human development (represented by the Human Development Index). In this dissertation, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and World Trade Organization (WTO) policies are theorized to have two distinct types of effects: their direct effect and their indirect effect. Two questions are focused on: first, what is the effect (total, direct and indirect) of WTO policies on human development for selected LDCs? Second, what is the effect (total, direct and indirect) of WTO policies on human development for selected developing/developed countries (i.e. non-LDCs) holding economic development constant? Using the dependency theory of development as a theoretical basis, this dissertation examines the assumptions of modernization-theory-based policies as expressed in trade liberalization policies (i.e. the implementation of comparative advantage and now market fundamentalism) with world-system analysis techniques. To examine these questions, four panel regression models are constructed to measure the total, direct and indirect effects of WTO policies during the near-term (1998-2003) and during a longer historical term (1975-2000). The data for the analyses are taken from seven different sources of international data. The analyses seemingly demonstrate that there are quantifiable negative effects of GATT/WTO membership (trade liberalization policies) on human development in selected LDCs. The current implementation of trade liberalization policies does not benefit the well-being of all concerned as promoted by the WTO.

Orientador: Leandro Gobbo Braz / Resumo: A população mundial está envelhecendo e o número de procedimentos anestésico-cirúrgicos está aumentando na faixa etária de 60 anos, comparando-se com outros grupos etários. Considerando essa realidade e a existência de diferenças na segurança do paciente entre países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento, a presente revisão comparou a incidência de Parada Cardíaca (PC) perioperatória e por fator anestésico em pacientes geriátricos em países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento de acordo com o IDH (Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano) e em dois períodos de tempo. Comparou-se também a literatura mundial da incidência de PC perioperatória e por fator anestésico ao longo do tempo (pré-1990s e 1990-2014) e em relação ao IDH. Métodos: Realizou-se uma revisão sistemática de estudos transversais da literatura mundial sobre a incidência de PC perioperatória e por fator anestésico em pacientes geriátricos. Foi realizada meta-análise da incidência de PC perioperatória e por fator anestésico em 10.000 anestesias, de acordo com o IDH dos países e o período de tempo (pré-1990s e 1990-2014). Utilizou-se a análise de metarregressão para analisar a incidência de PC perioperatória e por fator anestésico ao longo do tempo e do IDH dos países. A meta-análise e a metarregressão foram realizadas considerando um intervalo de confiança (IC) de 95%. Resultados: Foram incluídos 16 estudos de nove países diferentes, com um total de 1.758.153 pacientes geriátricos submetidos à anestesia. A meta-análise most... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The world population is ageing and the number of anesthesia and surgical procedures are increasing in the sixty-years-old compared to other age groups. Considering this and the differences in patient safety in low- and high-income countries, the current study compared the perioperative and anesthesia-related CA rates in geriatric patients in low- and high-income countries in two time periods. Additionally, we compared global data on anesthesia-related and perioperative cardiac arrest (CA) rates according to Human Development Index (HDI) status and by time. Methods: A systematic review was performed to identify worldwide observational studies in which geriatric patients were submitted to anesthesia with perioperative and/or anesthesia-related CA rates. Meta-analysis per 10,000 anesthetics and meta-regression were performed with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to compare the perioperative and anesthesia-related CA rates by country’s HDI status (low-HDI versus high-HDI) and by time period (pre-1990s versus 1990-2014), and to evaluate data on perioperative and anesthesia-related CA rates according to country’s HDI status and by time. Results: Sixteen studies from 9 countries assessing 1,758,153 anesthetic administrations in geriatric patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that the perioperative and anesthesia-related CA rates declined in high-HDI (38.6 [95% CI, 37.8-39.6] before the 1990s to 7.7 [95% CI, 7.6-7.8] in the 1990-2014, P<0.001; and 9.2 [95% CI, 8.9-9.5] befor... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

L'accord ADPIC a été accepté par la Tunisie comme un mal nécessaire afin d'obtenir des bénéfices commerciaux dans les secteurs de grand intérêt. Il était également considéré comme bien pensé car il accordait une période de transition aux PED afin qu'ils puissent adapter leurs systèmes à cet instrument exhaustif et établir un standard minimum qui pourrait s'appliquer à tous les pays et rattacher les DPI au commerce. La Tunisie constitue un cas d'analyse intéressant et ce, surtout comparativement aux autres pays qui ont maintenu une attitude de rejet par rapport aux traités classiques de PI. Notre pays était membre aux conventions de Paris et de Berne depuis plus d'un siècle. Il était certes le bon élève qui s'est harmonisé en développant une nouvelle culture de protection à la PI conformément au nouveau système international. La raison est que la PI est conçue afin d'être, dans la nouvelle économie cognitive, un outil important dans la compétitivité internationale. Elle constitue également un instrument pour attirer les IDE. En même temps, et comme le stipule l'ADPIC, la PI serait un composant essentiel dans la promotion de l'innovation et la facilité du transfert de technologie. Mais ce schéma d'harmonisation sur la base de prétendus standards minimums n'a pas satisfait l'engouement des pays industrialisés qui se sont lancés dans la conclusion d'accords commerciaux bilatéraux au-delà de l'ADPIC. Notre objectif est donc d'analyser ces présupposés et d'essayer d'expliquer ce qui s'est passé depuis l'accord ADPIC. La question est de savoir si le pays, en procédant de cette manière, avait réussi à établir cette articulation entre les considérations commerciales qu'exige l'ADPIC et les préoccupations internes se rapportant à la santé, l'agriculture, la diversité culturelle et l'environnement. Vingt trois ans après, le pays a-t-il tiré profit de l'alignement de son régime de PI sur l'accord ADPIC ? L'un des objectifs avoués de l'ADPIC était la diffusion du savoir et par là, l'amélioration des capacités R & D. Cependant, très peu de progrès a été réalisé, il semble même que la situation ait empiré. / The TRIPS agreement has been accepted by Tunisia as a necessary evil in order to obtain commercial benefits in sectors of great interest. It was also considered well thought out because it provided a transition period for developing countries to adapt their systems to this comprehensive instrument and establish a minimum standard that could apply to all countries and link IPR to trade. Tunisia is an interesting case of analysis, especially in comparison with other countries maintaining an attitude of rejection towards the traditional treaties of IP. Our country has been a member of the Paris and Berne Conventions for more than a century. It was, of course, the right student who harmonized by developing a new culture of IP protection in accordance with the new international system. The reason is that IP is designed to be, in the new cognitive economy, an important tool in international competitiveness. It is also an instrument for attracting FDI. At the same time, and as stipulated in TRIPS, IP would be an essential component in promoting innovation and ease of technology transfer. But this pattern of harmonization on the basis of so-called minimum standards has not satisfied the enthusiasm of the industrialized countries that have embarked on the conclusion of bilateral trade agreements beyond TRIPS. Our objective is therefore to analyze these assumptions and try to explain what has happened since the TRIPS agreement. The question is whether, in doing so, the country has succeeded in establishing this link between the trade considerations required by TRIPS and the internal concerns related to health, agriculture, cultural diversity and environment. Twenty-three years later, has the country benefited from the alignment of its IP regime with the TRIPS Agreement? One of the stated objectives of TRIPS was the spread of knowledge and thereby the improvement of R & D capabilities. However, very little progress has been made, and it seems that the situation has worsened.

This thesis examines the development of the micro-insurance sector in less developed countries, using the theoretical approach of new institutional economics. The main research questions are whether it is the insufficient compatibility between formal and informal institutions that hinders the development of micro-insurance below what had been widely predicted by the academic community? And what has to be done institutionally to make this industry an active contributor to economic growth? To investigate these questions, three distinct empirical studies, of which one is based on field work data generated for the thesis specifically, were carried out using a Probit model, a system of Generalized Method of Movements model, and a Vector Error Correction model. The hypotheses tests suggest that (i) the relevant informal institutions have a significant influence on the decision of individuals to enrol into micro-insurance product in Nigeria; (ii) by controlling for institutional quality, a positive development of the institution of micro-insurance contributes to reducing the size of the informal economy in Nigeria and other less developed countries); and (iii) that micro-insurance has both short and long term positive impacts on the economic growth in Nigeria.:Table of contents Versicherungen 2 Table of contents 3 List of tables 8 List of figures 9 list of Appendices 11 List of Abbreviations 12 Acknowledgement 15 Abstract 17 Chapter 1 19 1. Overview of the study 19 1.1 Introduction 19 1.2 Aims and objectives 23 1.3 Structure of the Thesis 23 1.4 reference 26 Chapter 2 29 2. Theories and concepts of (micro) insurance 29 2.1 The poor and risk 29 2.2 The theoretical framework of insurance 36 2.3 The meaning of micro-insurance 40 2.4 The two faces of micro-insurance 42 2.5 Micro-insurance and traditional insurance 44 2.6 Demand and supply of micro-insurance 48 2.7 Micro-insurance supply chain 53 2.8 Reference 59 Chapter 3 65 3. New institutional economy 65 3.1 Introduction 65 3.2 Institution 65 3.3 Institution and organization 67 3.4 Neoclassical Approach 68 3.5 Institutional economic approach 70 3.6 New institutional economics 72 3.6.1 Property right 73 3.6.2 Transaction costs 76 3.6.3 Agency theory 78 3.7 New institutional economics and insurance 79 3.8 Conclusion 84 3.9 Reference 86 Chapter 4 90 4. Methodology 90 4.1 Introduction 90 4.3 Mixed-research strategy 92 4.3.1 Qualitative research 92 4.3.2 Quantitative research 93 4.4 The research method 95 4.4.1 Data collection 96 4.4.2 The sampling framework 96 4.4.3 Sample size and sampling technique 97 4.4.4 Questionnaire design 98 4.5 Instrument validity and reliability 98 4.5.1 Pre-testing of the instruments 100 4.6 Analytical approaches 100 4.7 Reference 102 Chapter 5 105 5. Nigeria and the development of micro-insurance industry 105 5.1 Introduction 105 5.2 Broad country context 106 5.3 Insurance Sector 109 5.4 Segments of the Nigerian insurance industry 110 5.4.1 Non-life insurance 112 5.5 Regulatory Landscape 115 5.5.1 Market development and restructuring initiative (MDRI): 117 5.6 Nigerian Insurance industry vs Global peers 118 5.7 Problems of the insurance industry in Nigeria 120 5.8 Micro-insurance in Nigeria 123 5.9 Reason to be optimistic 125 5.10 Distribution Channel of Micro-Insurance 127 5.11 Conclusion 129 5.12 Reference 130 Chapter 6 133 6. The effect of Societal norms on the likelihood of individuals to enrol in different forms of Micro-insurance products 133 6.1 Introduction 133 6.2 Institution, Values and Norms 134 6.3 Methods and variables 137 6.3.1 Dependent Variable: Micro-insurance enrolment 137 6.3.2 Independent variables 138 6.4 Justification for control variables 144 6.4.1 Formal institutional variables 144 6.4.2. Personal Characteristics 145 6.5 Model estimation 149 6.6 Result, analysis and discussion of findings 151 6.6.1 Presentation of the result 151 6.6.2 Analysis of the impact of values and norms 152 6.6.3 Analysis of the impact of formal institutions 156 6.6.4 Analysis of the impact of personal characteristics 158 6.7 Robustness of the Result 161 6.8 Conclusion 162 6.9 Reference 164 6.10 Appendix 171 Chapter 7 179 7. The Role of Institutions in the relationship between micro-insurance development and Size of the Informal economy in Sub-Saharan Africa 179 7.1 Introduction 179 7.2 A theoretical review of Informal economy 183 7.3 Theoretical and conceptual review 186 7.4 Data 186 7.5 Descriptive statistics 194 7.6 Model specification and estimation strategy 197 7.7 Empirical Results 200 7.8 Estimation and interpretation of system GMM 202 7.9 Robustness Checks 205 7.10 Conclusion 207 7.11 Reference 208 7.12 Appendix 213 Chapter 8 221 8. How does micro-insurance impact the economic growth of Nigeria? 221 8.1 Introduction 221 8.2 The conceptual and theoretical framework 224 8.3 Literature review 225 8.4 Theoretical model and empirical analysis 228 8.5 Empirical result and findings 229 8.5.1 Descriptive statistics 229 8.5.2 Stationarity test 230 8.5.3 Co-integration test 233 8.5.4 Vector error correction model (VECM) 235 8.6 Diagnostic test on VEC Model (robustness of the model) 237 8.7 Conclusion and recommendation 238 8.8 Reference 241 8.9 Appendix 246 Chapter 9 250 9. The conclusion and policy recommendations 250 9.1 Introduction 250 9.2 Summary of the study 250 9.3 Research conclusions and implications 252 9.4 Contributions of the research 254 9.5 Research limitations 256 9.6 Direction for future research 257 9.7 reference 259

Infant hearing screening (IHS) programs are not yet widespread in developing countries, such as South Africa. In order to ensure that the benefits of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs reach all infants, initial recommendations for the implementation of IHS programs in South Africa have been made by the Year 2002 Hearing Screening Position Statement by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. One of the platforms recommended for IHS in South Africa is the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). South African NICU infants are at an increased risk for hearing loss, resultant of their high-risk birth histories, as well as the prevalence of context-specific environmental risk factors for hearing loss. There is currently a general scarcity of contextual data regarding the prevalence of risk indicators for hearing loss, and the prevalence of auditory impairment in the South African NICU population. The objective of this study was to describe an IHS program for NICU infants at a secondary hospital in Gauteng, South Africa. A quantitative descriptive research design was used to report on a cohort of 129 NICU infants followed up during a 29 month period. The objective of the study was achieved by describing the sample of infants in terms of the presence of specific risk indicators for hearing loss, the efficiency of the IHS program, and the incidence of auditory pathologies. Infants received their initial hearing screening as part of their medical and developmental follow-up visit at the hospital at three months of age. Routine rescreening visits were scheduled three monthly, whilst infants who failed the hearing screening were requested to return after three weeks for a follow-up. A data collection sheet was used to collect biographical information and risk indicators for hearing loss. Immittance measurements were recorded in the form of high-frequency and low-frequency tympanometry. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and automated auditory brainstem responses (AABR) were recorded, as well as diagnostic auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in cases where infants referred the screening protocol. Results revealed that environmental risk factors present in this sample included poor maternal education levels and prenatal HIV/AIDS exposure. At least 32% of mothers participating in this study did not complete high school. Prenatal HIV/AIDS exposure was present in at least 21% of the current sample of infants. The screening coverage rate fell short of the 95% benchmark set by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH, 2000). A 67% coverage rate was achieved with AABR screening, and an 88% coverage rate was achieved with DPOAE screening. 93% of infants had immittance screening performed on their initial visit to the IHS program. According to the Fisher’s two-sided exact test and the logistic regression procedure, high frequency tympanometry proved to be more effective than low frequency tympanometry, when assessing the middle ear functioning of infants younger than seven months when compared with DPOAE results. Normative pressure and admittance data was compiled for the use of high frequency tympanometry in NICU infants. Poor follow-up rates were recorded for both routine and non-routine visits, but are expected to improve over time. Furthermore, results indicated a high incidence of hearing impairment. Permanent congenital hearing loss was identified in 3% (n=4) of the sample. Half of these presented with sensorineural hearing loss, whilst the other half had auditory neuropathy. The incidence of auditory impairment is estimated to be 3.75% if the percentage of infants who did not return for follow-up is taken into account. A high incidence of middle ear pathology was recorded, with an incidence rate of 60.4%, including bilateral and unilateral middle ear pathology. The high prevalence of auditory impairment in South African NICU infants, and the lack of widespread IHS programs, indicates that many vulnerable infants are being the denied the benefits of early identification of and intervention for hearing loss. The implementation of widespread IHS programs in South Africa is therefore essential, in order to ensure that all South African infants receive the benefits of EHDI programs. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

Uppsatsen strävar efter att jämföra svenska hushålls fastighetsinvesteringar i ett EU land(Kroatien) och ett land utanför EU (Montenegro). Uppsatsen analyserar empiriska resultatetför att hitta både det positiva och det negativa som en investering i länderna medför. Kroatienoch Montenegro valdes på grund av författarnas etnicitet och deras kontaktnät medprivatpersoner som investerat i länderna samt likheterna i klimat och kultur för att minskapåverkande faktorer. Författarna strävar för att utöka den vetenskapliga kunskapen omtransaktionskostnader från privathushålls perspektiv I både utvecklade och underutveckladeländer med potential. Det finns massor med vetenskapligt baserad information omtransaktionskostnader tillgängligt men nästan enbart från ett kommersiellt perspektiv.Frånvaron av forskning kring transaktionskostnader för privatpersoner är oroväckande ochjust därför är denna uppsats nödvändig. För att göra detta konstruerades två enkäter för attsamla information om processerna vid dessa typer av internationella investeringar.Information som samlades in analyserades med hjälp av tidigare forskning omtransaktionskostnader och transparens samt teorin om The New Institutional Economics.Sedan diskuterades resultatet och både skillnaderna mellan de utvecklade ochunderutvecklade länderna samt hushållens och kommersiella perspektivet var förvånansvärt. / The study seeks to compare Swedish household property investment in a EU country(Croatia) and a country outside of EU (Montenegro). The study analyzes the empirical resultsto find both the positive and negative that derives from an investment in the countries. Croatiaand Montenegro were chosen because of the origins of the authors and their connections toprivate investors in these countries. The authors seek to broaden the current scientificknowledge about private household property investments in the area of transaction cost andinvestments in both developed countries and underdeveloped countries with potential.Scientifically researched information about transactional cost is a widely available but acommon consensus in these papers is that the subject matter is commercial. The absent ofresearch of transactional cost for private household investors is alarming and to fill this gap,this study is essential. To do this, two surveys were constructed to obtain information on theprocess of investments in these countries. The information obtained from the surveys wasexamined with the help of prior studies on transactional cost and transparency but also withthe theory on the New Institutional Economics theory. The results and findings were laterdiscussed and the difference of both the developed and underdeveloped perspective and thehousehold and commercial perspective were astonishing.

There is a noticeable lack of production of indigenously engineered and manufactured products in Less Developed Countries (LDC's). Few products developed in these LDC's could be viable in competitive markets or even sold as components and supplies to other manufacturers of competitive goods. Assumintg that these less developed countries do not innovate and manufacture because they cannot, the next logical question to ask is why can they not? This thesis looks at the problems of manufacture and design in LDC's from the standpoint of Product Development. It begins by looking at development theories, namely top down and bottom up and assessing the difficulties encountered with either approach. It then looks at literature on product development, covering four areas: appropriate technolotgy, Product Development Cycle, QFD, and finally Design for X. These areas are analyzed for their usefulness in solving the development problem. The environment is considered and a linkage is developed between the Product Development Cycle and the environment. This is found to happen by way of Enterprise Needs which are needs that a product must fulfill to make it a viable option for manufacture. Finally, a process is outlined and demonstrated to form Enterprise Needs and take them into account within a traditional concept selection process. Environment was found to play a part in the Product Development Cycle. By clarifying Enterprise Needs as well as Customer Needs or Functional Needs, a more balanced approach can be taken to the concept selection process choosing the best concept, not only for the customer, but for the company as well.

L’adoption par l’OMC de mesures de TSD utiles pour promouvoir l’agriculture des PED par le commerce agricole a favorisé l’accès des PED au marché rémunérateur de l’UE par des schémas multiples qui ne sont pas encore répartis équitablement entre les PED. Les préférences tarifaires de l’UE accordées aux PED figurent parmi les plus importants instruments de développement commercial utilisés par les pays développés. Cependant, l’effectivité des mesures de TSD reste relative à cause des limites inhérentes à leur contenu influencé par le statut particulier de l’agriculture à l’OMC. L’UE continue de bénéficier d’arrangements spéciaux et pratique un protectionnisme agricole très complexe et très décrié sur le plan externe. Les politiques commerciales, agricoles, sociales, environnementales et sécuritaires en vigueur dans le marché agricole européen neutralisent les efforts consentis par les PED, plus particulièrement les PMA et les pays ACP, pour exploiter les préférences. L’avenir de l’accès des PED au marché agricole de l’UE est actuellement lié à l’aboutissement incertain des négociations du Cycle Doha sur le TSD et l’agriculture. Les Conférences ministérielles de Bali (décembre 2013) et de Nairobi (décembre 2015) ont permis de mettre sur pied des accords partiels et a minima qui semblent maintenir le déséquilibre subtil entre un TSD peu contraignant et un statut particulier de l’agriculture toujours résistant à l’OMC, sans apporter une solution définitive au statu quo de l’accès des PED aux marchés agricoles des pays développés. Les enjeux et les perspectives de l’accès des PED au marché agricole de l’UE dépendent de la direction que prendront les travaux en cours pour répondre aux questions de développement et de libéralisation agricole dans le cadre d’un vrai cycle de développement. / The adoption by the WTO of special and differential treatment (SDT) measures that are useful for promoting the agriculture of developing countries through agricultural trade has favored the access of developing countries to the remunerative market of the EU through multiple schemes that are not yet evenly distributed between developing countries. EU tariff preferences for developing countries (DCs) are among the most important trade development instruments used by developed countries. However, the effectiveness of SDT measures remains relative because of the limitations inherent in their content influenced by the special status of agriculture in the WTO. The EU continues to benefit from special arrangements and practices agricultural protectionism that is very complex and highly criticized externally. The commercial, agricultural, social, environmental and security policies in force in the European agricultural market neutralize the efforts made by developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs) and ACP countries, to exploit preferences.The future access of developing countries to the agricultural market of the EU is currently linked to the uncertain outcome of the Doha Round negotiations on SDT and agriculture. The Ministerial Conferences in Bali (December 2013) and Nairobi (December 2015) have led to the establishment of partial and minimum agreements that seem to maintain the subtle imbalance between a non-constraining SDT and a particular status of agriculture that is still resistant to The WTO without providing a definitive solution to the status quo of DCs access to agricultural markets in developed countries. The challenges and prospects of developing countries' access to the EU agricultural market depend on the direction of work in progress to address agricultural development and liberalization issues within a real development cycle.

In the first paper, the effects of trade openness and conflict risk on income inequality are investigated. I obtain that the effect of trade openness on inequality depends on the level of conflict risk. More precisely, there exists a threshold effect: trade openness worsens income inequality in countries where the risk of internal and external conflicts is high. Moreover, I find that countries with higher risk of conflicts are more unequal, and that more ethnically diverse countries increase income inequality. Finally, I obtain that democratic regimes decrease inequality. In the second paper, we analyze the general-equilibrium consequences of property right enforcement in the natural resource sector. Assuming that exclusion requires both private and public enforcement efforts, we compare states that differ by their ability to provide protection services. This ability is referred to as state capacity. We obtain that public protection services can effectively act as either substitutes or complements to private enforcement, and this strongly depends on state capacity. Under low state capacity, an increase in state protection services leads to a drop in national income as labor is drawn away from the directly productive activities. The opposite holds for high-capacity states. As a result, public protection services have an ambiguous effect on national income even though they can unambiguously increase resource rents. In the third paper, we argue that the right to hold dual citizenship can generate important social and economic benefits beyond its political dimension. We assemble a large panel dataset on dual citizenship. We find that in developing countries, dual citizenship recognition increases remittance inflows by US$1.19 billion, GDP and household consumption, and improves child survival. In developed countries, however, dual citizenship recognition decreases remittance inflows by US$1.44 billion, but increases FDI by US$828 billion, raises household consumption, gross capital formation and trade, and provides incentives for skilled workers to move to other countries.

"Mémoire présenté à la Faculté des Études supérieures En vue de l'obtention du grade de Maîtrise en droit des affaires (LL.M.)" / La création du GATT en 1947 par les pays occidentaux a consacré un nouvel ordre commercial international. Son but consistait à faciliter les échanges commerciaux et poursuivre le développement économique. Pour cela, la réglementation du GATT visait surtout à l'application d'une politique commerciale qui consiste à démanteler les obstacles aux échanges, proscrire toute discrimination commerciale entre les pays membres et entre les marchandises importées et les marchandises locales. En ce sens l'article 1er du GATT de 1947 (devenu OMC en 1995) pose le principe cardinal du traitement de la nation la plus favorisée, c'est-à-dire un traitement égal à tous les pays participant au GATT. Mais l'arrivée des nouveaux pays indépendants dans les années 1960 a changé la nature juridique du GATT parce qu'au point de vue économique il y avait trop de disparités entre les pays. Il y a eu donc la nécessité de tenir compte de la réalité économique de ces pays, de faire en sorte qu'ils puissent rattraper le retard dans le processus de développement, et de pouvoir aussi équilibrer les échanges commerciaux. L'adoption en 1964 de la Partie IV du GATT, intitulée commerce et développement, consacre la non réciprocité commerciale en faveur des pays en développement, et officialise par la même occasion une dualité des normes parce que les deux catégories de parties contractantes appliquent différemment les principes du Gatt. Il devient alors pertinent d'étudier cette asymétrie juridique qui devait compenser l'inégalité de développement des pays insuffisamment développés. Selon le credo des libéraux de l'époque, les PED peuvent se développer économiquement par des échanges commerciaux. Mais, en dépit des traitements préférentiels qui sont accordés aux pays en développement, ils n'arrivent pas à se développer, leur balance commerciale est déficitaire, leur productivité est faible. En faisant une étude globale sur la situation des pays en développement, nous traiterons en particulier le cas du Niger et du Bénin. Cette recherche sert: d'abord à voir les effets du libéralisme économique sur les pays économiquement faibles, ensuite susciter l'intérêt à étudier le développement économique des pays en dehors d'une dualité des normes qui n'apporte pas de résultats escomptés. / The creation of GATT in 1947 by western countries has set a new international order trade that would facilitate trade exchanges and moves forward economic development around the world. For that reasbn GATT regulations aimed above aIl at the application of a trade policy that consists of getting rid of the hindrances to the exchanges, and proscribe discriminatory trade exchanges between countries and imported and exported local merchandizes. Indeed article 1 in GATT regulations in 1947 (became WTO in 1995) poses the cardinal mIe of treatment of the nation which is more privileged, that is an equal treatment for aIl countries that are members of GATT. But the arrivaI of the new independent countries III 1960 has changed the juridical nature of GATT because economically the gap was too huge between the countries. So it is important to take into account the economic reality of the poor countries to set a strategic policy that will help them out. With that policy they will be able to catch up with the new era of development and trade exchanges around the world will be fair. The adoption in 1964 of the Part 4 of GATT regulations entitled trade and development favours the non-reciprocity trade to developing countriesand makes official at the same occasion a duality of norms because the two categories of members put into the application the mIes ofGATT differently. This research aims at studying this asymmetrical politic that would compensate the inequality of the development of poor countries, and would also provide them an economic development by the means of trade exchanges. ln spite of the preferential treatments given to the developing countries, theyare not yet making any progress because their trade balance is deficient, and their productivity is worthless. In doing a broader research on the situation of developing countries, we will focus particularly on the situations of Niger and Benin. This research would serve first to analyse the effects of the economic liberalism on the poor countries; secondly create the interest to study the economic development of the countries out of the asymmetrical politic that do not bring any attempted results.