Meetings of the Consortium

The strength of the Consortium lies in the capabilities of its members to conduct research and/or to use research results in policy analysis and advice. One of the major purposes of Consortium meetings is to enhance the quality and relevance of the research output of Consortium members. Meetings are designed to enhance the research output of the membership by providing for:

• the exchange of ideas on current and emerging trade policy issues;
• the constructive review of research at all stages ranging from planning to completion;
• the interchange of ideas among academic, government and business researchers, and between researchers and individuals involved in the formulation and implementation of policy;
• the exposure to, and critique of, advances in theory, analytic techniques, and models; and
• a setting that encourages formation of informal research networks and collaboration.

n order to meet these objectives the Consortium holds two kinds of meetings: (1) annual General Meetings of the membership, and (2) Public Trade Policy Research and Analysis Symposia (Public Symposia) which have been held, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, on a mostly annual basis since 1986.

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General Meetings of the membership are held annually, usually in December (Table I). While General Meetings are designed to benefit the membership, and to conduct the business of the Consortium, non-members are welcome to participate subject to the availability of accommodation. Meetings are three days in duration and the program consists of several types of activities to meet the multiple objectives of the Consortium. The mix of activities at the General Meeting varies depending on the needs and desires of the membership and current trade issues. Normally, the program consists of:

Theme Day - a full day devoted to a single topic selected in advance by the Executive Committee, taking into account the recommendations of the Program Sub-Committee, and approved by the membership. The theme may be a policy issue, an area of research, or a research method. The program normally consists of the presentation and discussion of four or more substantive papers of publishable quality.

The Theme Day is organized by co-chairs appointed by the Executive Committee. Co-chairs are responsible for (1) selecting topics for papers relevant to the theme, (2) soliciting papers, (3) coordinating with authors to ensure relevance, quality, and the completion of papers prior to the meeting, (4) conducting the Theme Day program, and (5) editing abstracts (or papers if deemed publishable as a proceedings) for a suitable publishing outlet, such as website publication, desktop publication or publication by a commercial press. Theme Day program co-chairs coordinate with the Executive Committee member designated as the General Meeting Organizer on budget matters, on consistency of the proposed Theme Day papers with the designated theme, and on desirable linkages between the Theme Day program and the remainder of the general program.

To encourage the preparation of original papers, the Executive Committee may authorize payment of honoraria to individuals who are not members of the IATRC. To encourage the presence of individuals to present papers, the Executive Committee may authorize payment of travel expenses (including meeting registration fees) for members and non-members of the IATRC (other than employees of IATRC core funding agencies).

The remaining two days of the General Meeting are organized by a designated member of the Executive Committee, normally the General Meeting Organizer. A Consortium member from the host institution, if any, will usually assist with local arrangements. Program content normally includes the following elements:

• Graduate student dissertation reports -- two preferred.
• Informal, concurrent discussion groups -- topics and discussion leaders are solicited from the membership by the General Meeting Organizer.
• Research planning and reporting, which provides an opportunity for members to (1) report research results; (2) present research plans for critique; (3) discuss research priorities; and (4) report on collaborative research efforts.
• Free Form -- time for members to conduct one-on-one or group discussions in an informal, unstructured setting about mutual research activities, interests, plans, problems, etc.
• Business meeting of Consortium members.
• Invited Address given by a government policymaker or industry official. Often these talks will take the form of a luncheon or dinner address. The Executive Committee may authorize payment of an honorarium and/or travel expenses for an individual who is not a member of the IATRC.

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Public Symposia are included in the Consortium's annual program plan at the discretion of the Executive Committee, taking into the recommendations of the Program Sub-Committee, and are subject to approval by the membership (Table II). They differ from the annual General Meetings in that they:

• organize the program;
• solicit papers;
• ensure quality, appropriateness, and timely delivery of papers;
• conduct the program;
• write (a) an introductory paper which identifies issues, focuses the workshop, and serves as a framework for other authors, and (b) a paper which summarizes and synthesizes the symposium;
• collect and edit papers; and
• arrange for and manage publication of the proceedings.

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Publications and Dissemination

Three types of IATRC publications are established: (1) the proceedings of Theme Days and Symposia (either in full or in abstract form), (2) Commissioned Papers and Trade Issues Papers, and (3) the Working Paper Series. The Consortium may also be associated with publications of other institutions in which a number of Consortium members, or the IATRC itself, are closely involved. Moreover, the IATRC disseminates information through a World Wide Web (WWW) site.

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The IATRC publishes the proceedings of its meetings. It is hoped that papers presented at the Symposia will be published by commercial publishing houses. The Executive Committee may determine that publication of proceedings of the Theme Day of a General meeting is warranted. In such cases the Executive Committee will designate an editor (normally the Theme Day organizer) and provide necessary funds.

Public Symposia:

It is the responsibility of the IATRC members appointed by the Executive Committee as Symposium Organizers/Editors to edit and prepare the proceedings, and to arrange for their publication. Part of the Symposium participant's registration fee covers the cost of the published proceedings, which provides a potential commercial publisher with a guaranteed minimum order.

General Meeting Theme Day Papers:

These proceedings will ordinarily include the theme day papers (in full).

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The IATRC will occasionally initiate the preparation of papers on trade issues. The objectives of these papers are inter alia to provide an overview of the current thinking on selected topics relevant to agricultural trade and policy, to identify gaps in existing knowledge, and to present the results of collaborative research on trade and trade policy issues. These papers may be used to provide a review of the "state of the art" of theory and empirical analysis and to provide policy advisors and policymakers with a readable overview of implications for policy. The papers may include but are not limited to: (1) a discussion of the problem setting and the historical evolution of thinking on the topic; (2) a review of the appropriate theoretical concepts; (3) a review and appraisal of empirical models; (4) identification of gaps in our knowledge base and an outline of a research agenda to fill these gaps; and (5) evaluation of lessons learned from the research for policy advisors and decision-makers.

The IATRC Executive Committee will occasionally select a task force or an individual for the preparation of a paper. The designation of output as a Commissioned Paper or a Trade Issues Paper is at the discretion of the Executive Committee, but generally a Commissioned Paper would be prepared by task force and Trade Issues Paper by one or two individuals.    

The output from each task force or individual may include: (1) a paper suitable for publication as a monograph; (2) presentation of the papers at an IATRC annual meeting and/or a Public Symposium; and (3) briefings for policy advisors or other public groups.

Procedures and guidelines for commissioning and carrying out these studies include:

• The Executive Committee selects topics for Commissioned Papers or Trade Issues Papers and solicits proposals.
• Suggestions for suitable topics may be submitted by any member of the Consortium.
• Proposals will be solicited from individuals or teams of researchers, at least one of whom is a member of the IATRC. Proposals should include (1) a statement of qualifications, (2) work-plan, and (3) budget.
• The Executive Committee or its agents will select the winning proposals.
• The IATRC will cover the expense of preparing a Commissioned Paper or Trade Issues Paper, to a maximum of $8,000. This limit may be exceeded if additional resources are made available by funding agencies for commissioned work. The smaller part of the IATRC funding of the paper may take the form of an honorarium. Funds may be applied towards the cost of one author traveling to an IATRC Meeting to present the paper.
• Commissioned Papers and Trade Issues Papers should be completed within 4-6 months.
• Drafts of the paper will be reviewed by two IATRC members selected by the Executive Committee, who will make recommendations with regard to publication.

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At least one author of a Working Paper must be a member of the IATRC. IATRC members should submit one copy of the prospective Working Paper, in English, to the current Chair of the Consortium. The Chair will evaluate the paper, and if he/she agrees that it is acceptable, will authorize the Washington State University or other administrative center of the IATRC to add the standard "IATRC Working Paper" front cover, make it available on the IATRC website, forward it to AgEcon Search, and distribute a notice of its availability to Consortium members..

Acceptability requires that (1) the subject matter be agricultural trade or trade policy related; (2) the first page follow exactly the format laid out for IATRC working papers (example attached as Appendix A; (3) all tables and figures be incorporated in the text; and (4) the paper include a one page executive summary.

The format requirements for AgEcon Search are available at http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/users/submit.pl.

Authors of papers presented at Theme Days would be expected to make the paper available through the IATRC website but would be able to choose not to do so.

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The IATRC maintains a website offering up-to-date information on the IATRC program, publications, membership, and history. It also offers links to other relevant sites.  The site is found at http://www.iatrcweb.org.

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Members of the IATRC and their employing institutions recognize as a responsibility of membership the participation in the Agricultural Trade Policy Consultative Service of the IATRC (hereafter referred to as the Service). The Service will make available to Consortium funding agencies the expertise of members to advise and consult on policy issues, design and conduct research and analysis projects, and other activities as mutually agreed. Procedures for conducting this service are as follows:

 A. Roster of Available Expertise

The Executive Committee will periodically solicit from members indications of expertise and expressions of interest. Members also will indicate times when they are not available.

B. Request for Service

A request for Service will be made by the Executive Committee representatives of the funding agency (or designee) to the Chair of the Consortium (or designee). Requests will include the nature of consultation, number of days needed, time constraints, and any preference for individuals to be involved.

C. Constitution of Service Team

The Chair, will solicit members of a Service team and appoint a team leader, taking into consideration the following: (1) nature of request; (2) preferences of requesting agency; and (3) availability of members. Once the team is constituted the Chair will inform the agency. The agency will be responsible for working out a schedule and logistics with the team leader. Team members will make their own travel arrangements.

D. Consortium Funding

The IATRC will reimburse the travel costs (transportation and per diem) of the team members providing this service to Consortium funding agencies. The member's institution will provide official duty time for the member to participate. [need to update now that employer letter no longer needed for membership application????]

E. Limits on Service Availability

The Executive Committee, each year, will allocate a budget for support of the Service. If requests in any year exceed the budgeted amount, the Chair will assist in forming additional consultative teams, but the requesting agency will be responsible for negotiating financial arrangements with team members and/or their institutions, and for paying all associated costs.

F. Availability of Service to Other Agencies

The IATRC will be responsive to requests from agencies (e.g. U.S. or foreign government or international institutions) which do not fund the Consortium to the extent of soliciting and forming consultative teams. However, the Consortium funds will not be used to support member participation. The requesting agency will be responsible for negotiating financial arrangements with team members and/or their institutions, and for paying all associated costs.

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