Goods

Flow of Goods and Services

In this global economy, the flow of goods and services across borders, otherwise known as trade, is a critical factor to the health and growth of a country’s economy. Yet many developing countries struggle with legal, institutional, and operational constraints that impede trade expansion.

In order for developing countries to address these issues and thereby capitalize on world trade, countries must cultivate facilitative environments. Flow of goods and services in AfghanistanThe laws, regulations, and decrees play a great role in cultivating an environment conducive to trade and must contain the following:

• Adequate and coherent authority structure for the essential trade-related institutions.
• Clearly stated regulations and procedures that adequately balance facilitation and control.
• The means to legally employ modern risk management techniques utilizing selective inspections and post-release audits to accomplish their respective missions.
• A productive environment of cooperation and procedural coherence with the other government agencies with border control responsibilities.

Among the many laws necessary for effective trade, the establishment of customs law is critical to increased flow of goods and services and to World Trade Organization (WTO) accession. Countries striving for WTO accession must enact compliant customs laws based on various GATT agreements pertinent to customs administrations. The laws should reflect an effective modern customs practices such as organizational structure, seizure and penalty authority for customs violations, collection of foreign trade statistics, joint facilities with neighboring countries, and the acceptance and use of electronic data for customs documentation. The customs department, which is the principal government agency responsible for border control, should have an effective management, well-trained staff, modern equipment, modern facilitative procedures, and an active dialogue with traders respond timely and predictably to issues while efficiently guarding public security.

In addition to the customs department, an efficient trading system depends on an interdependent process that includes other sound trade-related public sector institutions, trade service providers, and the traders themselves. The private sector trade community should contribute expert legal and logistical knowledge to the import/export process and is critical to the efficiency of and overall compliance of international trade movements. Implementation of trade facilitation is a long and complex process that only evolves through strong local ownership and consensus building. If commitment to this reform process is weak, there is a real possibility that the result will be a changed process that does not deliver real reform.

Goods and the Laws of International Trade

Examination of goods

Customs Trade Law

In the United States

For information about Goods in the context of international trade, click here
Goods

Capital goods

The equipment and machinery used in production of other goods or services. For additional information related to the definition of Capital goods in connection to Goods, please visit the legal dictionary here. Goods

Consumer goods

Goods which are used or bought for use primarily for personal, family or household purposes. For additional information related to the definition of Consumer goods in connection to Goods, please visit the legal dictionary here. Goods

Durable goods

Goods which have a reasonably long life and which are not generally consumed in use; e. g. refrigerator. For additional information related to the definition of Durable goods in connection to Goods, please visit the legal dictionary here. Goods

Fungible goods

Goods, every unit of which is similar to every other unit in the mass. For additional information related to the definition of Fungible goods in connection to Goods, please visit the legal dictionary here. Goods

Hard goods

Consumer durable goods. For additional information related to the definition of Hard goods in connection to Goods, please visit the legal dictionary here. Goods

Soft goods

Generally consumer goods in contrast to hard goods (e. g. appliances). For additional information related to the definition of Soft goods in connection to Goods, please visit the legal dictionary here.

Rules Relating to Goods

This section provides an overview of rules relating to goods within the legal context of Impact of Domestic Regulation on Trade in Goods, Services and on Investment in international economic law, with coverage of Domestic Regulation (Behind the Borders) (Main Regulatory Areas).

Goods

Resources

See Also

• Confusion of goods
• Future goods
• Identification of goods
• Consumer goods
• Durable goods

Resources

See Also

Further Reading

• Information about Goods in the Encyclopedia of World Trade: from Ancient Times to the Present (Cynthia Clark Northrup)