Publication: The WTO and the Doha Round : Walking on Two Legs
Date
2011-10
ISSN
Published
2011-10
Author(s)
Abstract
The Doha Round of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) negotiations has been ongoing for 10
years, and given political cycles in major countries, there
is not much hope for a rapid conclusion. The topics on the
table are important, and in principle there is enough
substance for all countries to gain from an agreement, but,
unfortunately, too much emphasis has been placed on gains
through market access alone. The Doha Round is about much
more than market access. Concluding the talks arguably
requires greater recognition of the value of trade policy
disciplines that will be part of any agreement. The WTO is
not just a market access negotiating forum; it is also a
multilateral umbrella through which governments can agree on
rules of the game for other trade-related policies. Given
the slow progress of the Round, greater emphasis could be
put on leveraging existing WTO bodies to enhance the
transparency of nontariff measures, address regulatory
concerns that impede liberalization of trade in services,
and launch a dialogue on domestic economic policies that can
create negative spillover effects for trading partners.
Citation
“Hoekman, Bernard. 2011. The WTO and the Doha Round : Walking on Two Legs. Economic Premise; No. 68. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/f2b89455-f9b7-5102-a46e-1b1de9d58153 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”