Revitalizing the World Trading System

Considers the history of trade, the current state of the World Trade Organization and how it should be reformed.

Alan Wm. Wolff (Author)

9781009289320, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 July 2023

588 pages
22.9 x 15.1 x 3.1 cm, 0.84 kg

'The book provides a comprehensive account of various trade issues by looking at their history, present status and future prospects. It moves logically from chapter to chapter, but also can be read selectively, depending on the level of interest of individual readers. It is written in an engaging style and will be of interest to academicians, practitioners and the general public in equal part. … Wolff has done a good job in analyzing the problems that the WTO confronts in retaining its relevance and legitimacy.' Ujal Singh Bhatia, Journal of World Investment & Trade

In recent years, the world trading system has been confronted by a range of new and developing challenges: the risk of climate change, the instability of the digital economy, the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and the threat of future pandemics, to name but a few. In this book, veteran trade negotiator, Ambassador Alan Wm. Wolff, draws from his years of experience at the World Trade Organization to consider the history of trade, the current trading system and how it should be reformed in the future. Offering a rare insight into the inner workings of the WTO, Wolff is uniquely placed to identify deficiencies in the current system and suggest actionable solutions. This essential guidebook to the WTO equips readers with the tools and knowledge required to tackle to emerging and emergent challenges of a global trading system.

Introduction: saving the world trading system
Part I. Why Trade?: 1. The origins of trade
Part II. The Multilateral Trading System: 2. The founding of the multilateral trading system
3. Core elements of the world trading system
4. Twenty values of the multilateral trading system
5. A brief history of the WTO as told to us by its ministerial conferences
Part III. The Regular Operations of the WTO: 6. A week at the WTO
Part IV. Major Substantive Topics: 7. Dispute settlement at the WTO
8. Agriculture
9. Services
10. E-Commerce
11. Development at the WTO
Part V. World Trade Governance and Systemic Reform: 12. The problem of governance of the multilateral trading system
13. The need for WTO reform
14. WTO 2025: WTO Reform
Part VI. Conclusion: 15. Conclusion – The future of the WTO
Afterword. The art and science of negotiation
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: International economic & trade law [LBBM], Public international law [LBB], International economics [KCL]