Brian Bieron, Executive Director, Global Public Policy speaks on the “Barriers to Digital Trade” panel
Last week Brian Bieron, Executive Director of the eBay Public Policy Lab, participated in a panel discussion at a Trade conference organized by The George Washington University and the World Bank. The conference, titled “The End of Trade as We Know It?”, examined digital trade as well as barriers to cross-border information flows; the role of trade agreements as tools of Internet governance; the domestic and international regulatory environment for information; and focused on how to cooperate to encourage cross-border information flows.
Brian was invited to speak on a panel that examined future barriers to digital trade including cyber-security, information sovereignty, and domestic regulations. Brian’s presentation focused on eBay’s unique inclusive global trade story and how it benefits small businesses in both advanced and developing economies. He discussed the findings of the eBay Small Online Business Growth Report and also the policy recommendations that will reduce barriers and enhance the ability of technology-enabled SMEs to access global markets regardless of location.
Klaus Tilmes, Director of Trade and Competitiveness, the World Bank discusses eBay seller export data
Also of note, Klaus Tilmes, Director of Trade and Competitiveness for the World Bank, delivered the conference Keynote presentation and specifically cited Chilean data from the eBay Policy Lab’s Commerce 3.0 for Development Report (2013). He quoted the findings of the report and touched on some of the other countries on which we have reported our data. Specifically, he noted that: "somewhere between 100 to 350 million SMEs potentially could participate in digital trade and that is an agenda in and of itself.” He also said eBay data is "a robust indication in terms of why digital trade is a game changer when it comes down to the access to trading opportunities."
To view Brian’s presentation and the panel discussion, please visit: http://livestream.com/