Incluye bibliografía

Executive summary -- 1. The world economic outlook and developing countries -- 2. The effect of trade policy decisions on export prospects -- 3. Major markets for LDC exports of manufactures: an overview -- 4. Responses by developing country enterprises to the trade challenges of the 1990s -- 5. The Japanese market: access for imports in the 1990s -- 6. The European Community: prospects for imports in the 1990s -- 7. Conclusions

The decade of the 1980s provided many opportunities for developing country exporters. Above all else, the rapid growth in U.S. demand for imported goods allowed developing country exports to expand. As the 1980s drew to a close, rapid growth in Japan and Europe also began to boost their imports from developing countries. However, it is believed that circumstances will be different in the 1990s: 1) demand growth in the U.S. is slowing; 2) real interest rates are expected to remain high and perhaps rise; and 3) growth of demand has been slowing down in the major developing countries. What does the future hold then? Growth in Japan is expected to be strong, and the European Community (EC) is likely to expand rapidly under the double stimulus of Europe 1992, German unification and reconstruction in the East. The key question concerns trade policy. The EC Commission will exercise trade powers that previously were exercised by the individual states. There is concern that the Commission is less attached to free trade than exporters might like. There is also concern that competition from Eastern Europe will increase; that the use of antidumping procedures will increase and that preferences enjoyed by neighboring countries and former colonies will erode, affecting business in these countries. In brief, competition will be tougher during the 1990s and developing country businesses must pay more attention to European and Japanese markets.