In the past decade, as world trade flows have increased in quantity, value, and diversity, the framework for world trade has seen a flurry of institutional reforms. At the multilateral level under the aegis of the World Trade Organization, successive rounds of trade talks have brought about significant changes in the management of trade in manufactured and agricultural goods, services, and accompanying activities. On a separate path from the WTO, the world's two largest industrial economies - the United States and the European Union - are negotiating free trade agreements or preferential trade agreements with key trade partners in order to secure market access. Smaller, poorer countries of the world have increasingly banded together in regional trading blocs to more closely integrate their economies, realize economies of scale in production through access to a larger "local" market, pool their resources, and strengthen their bargaining position vis-à-vis the more-developed economies.

AIRD is actively involved in all of these aspects of trade. Its staff has contributed to increased institutional capacity of trade and sector-specific ministries as well as of professional associations in developing countries in order to enable them to participate more fully in global trade. Members of AIRD's core team have also been involved in supporting U.S. trade partners in their preparation for and implementation of free and preferential trade agreements, e.g. the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. AIRD economists are also helping to promote regional trade integration as a strategy to achieve long-term economic development, particularly in West Africa. 

AIRD's project experience in trade and regional integration has covered the following topics:

• Barriers to business expansion and cross-border trade
• Assessing constraints on and impact of regional cooperation and integration
• International trade and investment negotiations and agreements
• Trade capacity building in least developed countries
• Impact of free trade agreements on developing country economies