Figuring Out the Doha Round

Figuring Out the Doha Round
Author: Gary Clyde Hufbauer
Publisher: Peterson Institute
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2010
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0881325600

The Doha Round marked its eighth birthday in November 2009, making it the longest running multilateral trade negotiation in the postwar era. Doha participants continue to disagree about prospective liberalization of agriculture and manufactures and have barely begun to consider reductions in barriers to trade in services. Negotiators have missed every deadline to conclude the talks, leading some to question the viability of the entire venture. After nearly nine years of inconclusive meetings, the trade talks are at a tipping point: A global trade deal is still possible with renewed political commitment to trade reform, but continued drift could result in the first outright failure of a multilateral trade round in the postwar era. This policy analysis shows that the Doha Round can still be successfully concluded with a concerted push by the major trading nations. Contrary to the Doha doomsayers, the potential gains from proposals now on the table are significant, albeit not sufficient to close a deal. The authors estimate the trade gains and GDP gains from a prospective Doha deal that "tops up" existing commitments to liberalize agriculture, manufactures, and services. They also suggest what each of the major trading nations needs to do to ensure the successful completion of a Doha package that is both ambitious and balanced between the interests of developed and developing countries.

Breaking the WTO

Breaking the WTO
Author: Kristen Hopewell
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2016-08-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1503600025

The world economic order has been upended by the rise of the BRIC nations and the attendant decline of the United States' international influence. In Breaking the WTO, Kristen Hopewell provides a groundbreaking analysis of how these power shifts have played out in one of the most important theaters of global governance: the World Trade Organization. Hopewell argues that the collapse of the Doha Round negotiations in 2008 signals a crisis in the American-led project of neoliberal globalization. Historically, the U.S. has pressured other countries to open their markets while maintaining its own protectionist policies. Over the course of the Doha negotiations, however, China, India, and Brazil challenged America's hypocrisy. They did so not because they rejected the multilateral trading system, but because they embraced neoliberal rhetoric and sought to lay claim to its benefits. By demanding that all members of the WTO live up to the principles of "free trade," these developing states caused the negotiations to collapse under their own contradictions. Breaking the WTO probes the tensions between the WTO's liberal principles and the underlying reality of power politics, exploring what the Doha conflict tells us about the current and coming balance of power in the global economy.

Trade, Poverty, Development

Trade, Poverty, Development
Author: Rorden Wilkinson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2013
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0415624495

This work seeks to look beyond the seemingly endless deadlock in the WTO's Doha round of trade negotiations that began in November 2001 and were first scheduled to conclude by January 1, 2005. Each essay explores an area of critical importance to the round; and together they stand as an important contribution to debates not only about the Doha round but also about the role of trade in the amelioration of poverty in the poorest countries.

Negotiations in the World Trade Organization

Negotiations in the World Trade Organization
Author: Michal Parizek
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2019-10-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0429748752

This book examines the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the context of the global economy in the twenty-first century, arguing that many problems within the institution lie in the disparity between its design and the nature of its tasks. Studying the global trade regime and the unsuccessful Doha round of trade liberalization negotiations, this volume suggests that important institutional adjustments may be necessary for the WTO and other major international institutions to (re-)gain their ability to manage global economy. It uses extensive new qualitative and quantitative evidence to identify systematic dysfunctions in how the Doha negotiations have been conducted and links these dysfunctions to the exclusively inter-governmental design of interest representation in the WTO. Based on this, the book argues that global economic institutions should consider allowing broader parliamentary and non-state representation of their members. Presenting findings which can also be applied to other global economic institutions, Negotiations in the World Trade Organization will be useful to students and scholars of international trade, global governance and international political economy.

The WTO after Hong Kong

The WTO after Hong Kong
Author: Donna Lee
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2007-05-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134082851

After the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) critical December 2005 Hong Kong ministerial meeting, negotiations to implement the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) broke down completely in the summer of 2006. This book offers a detailed and critical evaluation of how and why the negotiations arrived at this point and what the future holds for the WTO. It brings together leading scholars in the field of trade from across the social sciences who address the key issues at stake, the principal players in the negotiations, the role of fairness and legitimacy in the Doha Round, and the prospects for the DDA’s conclusion. The WTO after Hong Kong is the most comprehensive account of the current state of the World Trade Organization and will be of enormous interest to students of trade politics, international organizations, development and international political economy.

Trade, Doha, and Development

Trade, Doha, and Development
Author: Richard S. Newfarmer
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2006
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

The role of trade in promoting international development is becoming increasingly important in our globalised world, and the global trading system has the potential to help the world's poor if trading inequities can be remedied. This publication examines the key trade issues relevant to the ongoing multilateral trade negotiations and the evolution of the world trading system as a means to address barriers to growth in developing countries, focusing on the Doha Round. Issues discussed include: potential gains from trade liberalisation for developed and developing countries; reforming trade in agriculture as a key to the success of the Doha Round; markets for manufacturing and services; trade facilitation, TRIPs and the regulatory agenda; the role of regional trade agreements; and issues of aid for trade, in order to help low-income countries develop the infrastructure needed to participate in the global economy and benefit from new market opportunities.

Doha Development Round: Why did it fail?

Doha Development Round: Why did it fail?
Author: Anna E. Richter
Publisher: diplom.de
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2014-09-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3954898179

The Doha Development Agenda, may go down in history as the slowest development round of all times. Starting in 2001, negotiations have been going on for 13 years and collapsed on several occasions in the meantime. With regards to its goal to ensure developing countries, and especially the least-developed among them, a share in the growth of world trade, barely any progress was made. To the extent that one may question how legitimate it is to call the Doha Round a Development Round at all. Especially the notorious point of trade liberalization in agriculture has delayed the negotiations. While the WTO member states agreed on cutting tariffs and reducing agricultural subsidies, opinions differ sharply on exemptions for certain products from these broad ruled. In another critical point, services, negotiations have hardly progressed. The WTO negotiators have missed every deadline agreed upon and various observers suggested to drop the entire venture. The aim of this paper is to find the reasons for the slow progress in order to see if the obstacles may be overcome and the Doha Round might be completed successfully.

Developing Countries and Global Trade Negotiations

Developing Countries and Global Trade Negotiations
Author: Larry Crump
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2007-03-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 113411477X

This book brings together an international team of leading academics and researchers to explore the main issues of the Doha Round trade negotiations.

Agreeing and Implementing the Doha Round of the WTO

Agreeing and Implementing the Doha Round of the WTO
Author: Harald Hohmann
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 504
Release: 2008-11-10
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1139474170

The Doha Round is the first major trade negotiation round under the WTO since the failure of the Seattle Ministerial in 1999. The Doha discussions and results will have a large impact on the future of international trade law. Leading scholars and practitioners from three continents comment on four such areas in this book. Firstly, poverty eradication, capacity building, and special and differential treatment are required to change for WTO law to be accepted globally; this may lead to a reinterpretation of WTO law. Secondly, the major trade policy concerns, the global concept of competition, and the impacts of trade facilitation and of sustainability of trade liberalization are examined. The third topic is the improvement of the dispute settlement through, for example, a relaxation of tensions between the judicial and diplomatic models. Finally, possible solutions for the balance between free trade, environmental protection and human rights are explored.

WTO Disciplines on Agricultural Support

WTO Disciplines on Agricultural Support
Author: David Orden
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 519
Release: 2011-03-31
Genre: Law
ISBN: 113950133X

Farm support is contentious in international negotiations. This in-depth assessment of the legal compliance and economic evaluation issues raised by the WTO Agreement on Agriculture presents consistent support data and forward-looking projections for eight developed and developing countries (EU, US, Japan, Norway, Brazil, China, India, Philippines), using original estimates where official notifications are not available. Variations over time in notified support in some cases reflect real policy changes; others merely reflect shifts in how countries represent their measures. The stalled Doha negotiations presage significantly tighter constraints for developed countries that provide the highest support, but loopholes will persist. Developing countries face fewer constraints and their trade-distorting farm support can rise. Pressure points and key remaining issues if a Doha agreement is reached are evaluated. Vigilant monitoring for compliance of farm support with WTO commitments will be required to lessen its negative consequences whether or not the Doha Round is concluded.