Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis
A fundamental change is taking place in the global economy, and the standoff in the Doha Round has raised many questions about the World Trade Organization’s troubled architecture (Khor, 2009). So far, the quest for renewed policy coherence in the rules-based multilateral system has produ...
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Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law
2011-03-01
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| Series: | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
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| Online Access: | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/62 |
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| author | Daniel Drache |
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| author_sort | Daniel Drache |
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A fundamental change is taking place in the global economy, and the standoff in the Doha Round has raised many questions about the World Trade Organization’s troubled architecture (Khor, 2009). So far, the quest for renewed policy coherence in the rules-based multilateral system has produced stalemate rather than reform. The analysis that follows explores the proposition that, without the metaphoric ‘knife at its throat’ to shock it to its senses, the WTO will continue in the short term to be trapped by its existing architecture. There is no coherent reform-minded movement supported by a critical number of states to instigate a change in the way the WTO does business. The paper looks at the following idea: with many states pursuing new policy frames to enhance their strategic interests, the second life of the WTO will be dramatically different from the present configuration. A lengthy trade pause is a certainty. Four options of what the WTO will become are examined. The conclusion is that as a governance body the WTO faces gradual and likely irreversible decline. It will have a smaller remit, be prone to mini-multilateralism and have to learn to live with a proliferation of regional trade agreements.
DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1832354
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-81d692f90a5e44dc92a5fe0fcd06ea05 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-5971 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-03-01 |
| publisher | Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
| spelling | doaj-art-81d692f90a5e44dc92a5fe0fcd06ea052024-11-25T15:06:16ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712011-03-011460Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysisDaniel Drache0York University Toronto A fundamental change is taking place in the global economy, and the standoff in the Doha Round has raised many questions about the World Trade Organization’s troubled architecture (Khor, 2009). So far, the quest for renewed policy coherence in the rules-based multilateral system has produced stalemate rather than reform. The analysis that follows explores the proposition that, without the metaphoric ‘knife at its throat’ to shock it to its senses, the WTO will continue in the short term to be trapped by its existing architecture. There is no coherent reform-minded movement supported by a critical number of states to instigate a change in the way the WTO does business. The paper looks at the following idea: with many states pursuing new policy frames to enhance their strategic interests, the second life of the WTO will be dramatically different from the present configuration. A lengthy trade pause is a certainty. Four options of what the WTO will become are examined. The conclusion is that as a governance body the WTO faces gradual and likely irreversible decline. It will have a smaller remit, be prone to mini-multilateralism and have to learn to live with a proliferation of regional trade agreements. DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1832354 https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/62GlobalizationWTODoha Round negotiationstrade multilateralismregional trade agreementsWashington consensus |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Drache Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis Oñati Socio-Legal Series Globalization WTO Doha Round negotiations trade multilateralism regional trade agreements Washington consensus |
| title | Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis |
| title_full | Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis |
| title_fullStr | Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis |
| title_short | Reform at the top: What's next for the WTO? A second life? A socio-political analysis |
| title_sort | reform at the top what s next for the wto a second life a socio political analysis |
| topic | Globalization WTO Doha Round negotiations trade multilateralism regional trade agreements Washington consensus |
| url | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/62 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danieldrache reformatthetopwhatsnextforthewtoasecondlifeasociopoliticalanalysis |