ABSTRACT

The article highlights Dr. Shelby Hunt’s major contribution to the interminable discussions in the field of competition in general, and most specifically in the role of institutions and public policy promoting productivity and economic growth. The article specifically focuses on Hunt’s legacy, Resource-Advantage Theory of Competition, and its core concepts to guide our understanding in one of the most heated debates in the international trade discussions: Geographical Indications (GI) and their impact on the competitive nature of global trade.

Geographical Indications (GI) are collective intellectual property (IP) rights for agri-food products that highlight the unique tie between the quality of the GI product and the territory where it is produced and/or processed. This tie encompasses both physical (i.e. soil, climate, local variety and breed) and human-related factors (i.e. local know-how, specific skills, historical traces). The heated debate regarding the nature and scope of GIs policies and whether these policies foster or hinder competition takes considerable attention in global trade agreements. Founding my arguments on Hunt’s Resource-Advantage theory, a dynamic theory of competition, I argue that GIs policies are pro-competition and provide the agrifood producers with productivity tools and, thereby, have the potential to foster regional economic growth and prosperity.

摘要

本文着重介绍了谢尔比·亨特（Shelby Hunt）博士对整个竞争领域（尤其是机构和公共政策在促进生产力和经济增长中的作用）中的无休止讨论的主要贡献。本文特别关注亨特的遗产，竞争的资源优势理论及其核心概念，以指导我们在国际贸易讨论中最激烈的辩论之一中的理解：地理标志（GI）及其对全球竞争性质的影响贸易。

地理标志（GI）是农产品的集体知识产权（IP），突出了地理标志产品的质量与生产和/或加工的地区之间的独特联系。这种联系既包括自然因素（即土壤，气候，当地品种和品种），也包括与人类有关的因素（即当地知识，特定技能，历史遗迹）。有关地理标志政策的性质和范围以及这些政策是否促进或阻碍竞争的激烈辩论在全球贸易协定中引起了相当大的关注。我以亨特的资源优势理论（一种动态竞争理论）为基础，我认为地理标志政策具有竞争优势，可为农产品生产者提供生产力工具，从而具有促进区域经济增长和繁荣的潜力。