Publication: Developing Countries and Enforcement of Trade Agreements : Why Dispute Settlement is Not Enough
Date
2007-12
ISSN
Published
2007-12
Author(s)
Abstract
Poor countries are rarely challenged in
formal World Trade Organization trade disputes for failing
to live up to commitments, reducing the benefits of their
participation in international trade agreements. This paper
examines the political-economic causes of the failure to
challenge poor countries, and discusses the static and
dynamic costs and externality implications of this failure.
Given the weak incentives to enforce World Trade
Organization rules and disciplines against small and poor
members, bolstering the transparency function of the World
Trade Organization is important for making trade agreements
more relevant to trade constituencies in developing
countries. Although the paper focuses on the World Trade
Organization system, the arguments also apply to reciprocal
North-South trade agreements.
Citation
“Bown, Chad P.; Bernard M., Hoekman. 2007. Developing Countries and Enforcement of Trade Agreements : Why Dispute Settlement is Not Enough. Policy Research Working Paper; No. 4450. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/b7517fa2-2a91-5274-9eb0-38fb7044aeb3 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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