Reforming the Multilateral Decision-making Mechanism of the WTO: What is the Role of Emerging Economies?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2013/v16i5a2440

Keywords:

World Trade Organisation, International Trade Reform, Doha Round, Emerging Economies, BRICS, Developing Countries in International Trade.

Abstract

The paper focuses on the future of global economic governance in the light of the current state of multilateral trade negotiations. The aim is to analyse identified key historical issues at the heart of the decision-making system of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The current and ongoing Doha Round of trade negotiations and the multilateral system reflect inequalities that still prevail in the global trade architecture. Is there a need for a paradigm shift? The paper will provide recommendations on how reform of the multilateral decision-making structures should focus on promoting the interests of developing countries that have historically been marginalised. Developing countries, like those making up BRICS, stand ready to contribute to the construction of a new international architecture, to bring the voices of the south together on global issues and to deepen their ties in various areas.

    

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bibliography

Abbott and Snidal 2000 International Organization

Abbott K and Snidal D "Hard and Soft Law in International Governance" 2000 International Organization 421-456

Auboin Restoring Trade Finance

Auboin M Restoring Trade Finance During a Period of Financial Crisis: Stock‐taking of Recent Initiative (World Trade Organization New York 2009)

Das Evolving Global Trade Architecture

Das DK The Evolving Global Trade Architecture (Edward Elgar Northampton, MA 2007)

Draper Whither the Multilateral Trading System?

Draper P Whither the Multilateral Trading System? Implications for (South) Africa - Occasional Paper 6 (South African Institute of International Affairs Johannesburg 2010)

Draper and Khumalo Smoke and Mirrors?

Draper P and Khumalo N Smoke and Mirrors? Sub-Saharan Africa's Negotiating Position in the Doha Development Agenda through the Prism of Special and Differential Treatment - Trade Policy Briefing 2 (South African Institute of International Affairs Johannesburg 2003)

Dube Way Forward for the WTO

Dube M The Way Forward for the WTO: Reforming the Decision-making Process - Occasional Paper No 118 (South African Institute of International Affairs Johannesburg 2012)

Ghosh 2010 World Trade Review

Ghosh A "Developing Countries in the WTO Trade Policy Review Mechanism" 2010 World Trade Review 419‐455

Hoekman Operationalizing the Concept of Policy Space

Hoekman B Operationalizing the Concept of Policy Space in the WTO: Beyond Special and Differential Treatment (World Bank New York 2004)

Ismail 2009 World Economics

Ismail F "Reforming the World Trade Organization" 2009 World Economics 109‐146

Jones Doha Blues

Jones K The Doha Blues: Institutional Crisis and Reform in the WTO (Oxford University Press Oxford 2010)

Lawrence 2006 J Int'l Econ L

Lawrence R "Rulemaking Amidst Growing Diversity: A 'club of clubs' approach to WTO reform and new issue selection" 2006 J Int'l Econ L 823‐335

Lichtenbaum 2002 Am U Int'l L Rev

Lichtenbaum P "'Special Treatment' versus 'Equal Participation': Striking a Balance in the Doha Negotiations" 2002 Am U Int'l L Rev 1004-1032

Martin and Messerlin 2007 Oxford Review of Economic Policy

Martin W and Messerlin P "Why is It so Difficult? Trade Liberalization under the Doha Agenda" 2007 Oxford Review of Economic Policy 347‐366

Narlikar International Trade

Narlikar A International Trade and Developing Countries: Coalitions in the GATT and WTO (Routledge London 2003)

Odell "Growing Power"

Odell J "Growing Power Meets Frustration in the Doha Round's First Four Years" Crump L and Maswood SJ (eds) Developing Countries and Global Trade Negotiations (Routledge London 2007) 7-40

Osakwe 2011 Minn J Int'l L

Osakwe C "Developing Countries and GATT/WTO Rules: Dynamic Transformations in Trade Policy Behavior and Performance" 2011 Minn J Int'l L 365-436

Panagariya 2005 World Economy

Panagariya A "Agricultural Liberalisation and the Least Developed Countries: Six Fallacies" 2005 The World Economy 1277-1299

Pauwelyn 2005 Mich L Rev

Pauwelyn J "The transformation of world trade" 2005 Mich L Rev 2-69

Piewitt 2010 Journal of World Trade

Piewitt M "Participatory Governance in the WTO: How Inclusive Is Global Civil Society?" 2010 Journal of World Trade 467-488

Sandrey "South Africa's Way Ahead"

Sandrey R "South Africa's Way Ahead: Are We a BRIC?" in Sandrey R et al BRICS, South Africa's Way Ahead (Tralac Stellenbosch 2013) 33-47

Steger 2009 J Int'l Econ L

Steger D "The Future of the WTO: The Case for Institutional Reform" 2009 J Int'l Econ L 803-833

Tijmes‐Lhl 2009 World Trade Review

Tijmes‐Lhl J "Consensus and majority voting in the WTO" 2009 World Trade Review 417‐437

Warwick Commission Multilateral Trade Regime

Warwick Commission The Multilateral Trade Regime: Which Way Forward? The Report of the First Warwick Commission (University of Warwick Coventry 2007)

Wolfe 2009 J Int'l Econ L

Wolfe R "The WTO Single Undertaking as Negotiating Technique and Constitutive Metaphor" 2009 J Int'l Econ L 835-858

Zedillo "Surviving the Doha Round"

Zedillo E "Surviving the Doha Round" in Hoekman B and Olarreaga M (eds) Impacts and Implications of Global Trade Reform on Poverty (Brookings Instiution Washington, DC 2007) 63-75.

Register of case law

WT/DS381/R - United States - Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products (Sept 15, 2011)

WT/DS381/R - US - Tuna II (Mexico) Appellate Body Report, United States - Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products (May 16, 2012)

Register of treaties, instruments and legislation

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947) (GATT)

World Trade Organisation Agreement (1994)

Register of internet sources

Anonymous 2012 rt.com

Anonymous 2012 BRICS Bank on Their Bank and Currencies to Withstand Financial Troubles rt.com/business/brics-bank-currency-plan-669/ [date of use 14 Oct 2013]

Anonymous 2013 online.wsj.com

Anonymous 'The Decline of the WTO' The Wall Street Journal 12 May 2013 online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324744104578471432089609010 [date of use 12 May 2013]

Baldwin 2009 onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Baldwin RE 2009 Failure of the WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancun: Reasons and Remedies onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467- 9701.2006.00815.x/pdf [date of use 20 Apr 2013]

Baldwin 2010 www.cepr.org

Baldwin RE 2010 Understanding the GATT's Wins and the WTO's Woes www.cepr.org/pubs/PolicyInsights/PolicyInsight49.pdf [date of use 21 Apr 2013]

Collier 2005 users.ox.ac.uk

Collier P 2005 Why the WTO Is Deadlocked and What Can Be Done about It users.ox.ac.uk/~econpco/research/pdfs/WTOdeadlock.pdf [date of use 20 Apr 2013]

Deardorff and Stern 2003 fordschool.umich.edu

Deardorff A and Stern R 2003 Enhancing the Benefits for Developing Countries in the Doha Development Agenda Negotiations fordschool.umich.edu/rsie/workingpapers/Papers476-500/r498.pdf [date of use 20 Apr 2013]

Hoekman 2011 www-wds.worldbank.org

Hoekman B 2011 Proposals for WTO Reform: A Synthesis and Assessment www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2011/01/10

/000158349_20110110095113/Rendered/PDF [date of use 25 Apr 2013]

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and International Institute for Sustainable Development 2003 www.wto.org

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and International Institute for Sustainable Development 2003 Special and Differential Treatment, Doha Round Briefing Series 1, 13 www.wto.org/english/forums_e/

ngo_e/iisd_specdifftreatment_e.pdf [date of use 21 Apr 2013]

Kwa WTO Members Fight over Developing Countries' Agriculture Markets: An

Ominous Outcome for the South? Available at:http://www.iatp.org/files/

WTO_Members_Fight_over_Developing_Countries_2.htm[date of use 10 Jan 2014]

Lamy 2009 www.wto.org

Lamy P 2009 Strengthening the WTO as the Global Trade Body - Statement by the Director General on his Reappointment www.wto.org

/english/news_e/news09_e/tncchair_report_29apr09_e.htm [date of use 10 May 2013]

Low 2011 www.wto.org

Low P 2011 WTO Decision Making for the Future www.wto.org/

english/res_e/reser_e/ersd201105_e.pdf [date of use 21 Apr 2013]

Michalapoulos 2000 siteresources.worldbank.org

Michalapoulos C 2000 The Role of Special and Differential Treatment for Developing Countries in GATT and the World Trade Organisation siteresources.worldbank.org/INTARD/825826-1111405593654/20432097/

TradeanddevelopmentintheGATTandWTO.pdf [date of use 21 Apr 2013]

Oxfam 2000 policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk

Oxfam 2000 Institutional Reform of the WTO policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/institutional-reform-of-the-wto-112433 [date of use 28 Apr 2013]

WTO Date Unknown www.wto.org

WTO Date Unknown How the Negotiations are Organised www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/work_ organi_e.htm [date of use 28 May 2013]

Published

17-05-2017

Issue

Section

Notes

How to Cite

Saurombe, A. (2017). Reforming the Multilateral Decision-making Mechanism of the WTO: What is the Role of Emerging Economies?. Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal, 16(5), 428-453. https://doi.org/10.17159/1727-3781/2013/v16i5a2440

Similar Articles

151-160 of 1108

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.