The Political Economy of the World Trading System: From GATT to WTO by Bernard Hoekman and Michael Kostecki (2001) Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 480 pages, ISBN: 019829431X.

Book Description: The World Trade Organization is likely to be a major international organization for the foreseeable future. This volume, the first full-length study of the WTO and GATT from the viewpoint of public choice and political economy, details the mechanics of the multilateral trading system that emerged from the Uruguay Round of GATT. The authors, who were involved in the negotiations of the Uruguay Round, explain why WTO rules are phrased the way they are, the successes and failures of WTO and GATT, and how business, industrial associations and political lobbies influence the multilateral trading system. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
 

The WTO as an International Organization by Anne O. Krueger (2000) University of Chicago Press (Trd), 426 pages, ISBN: 0226454495.

World Trade Organization Millennium Round: Freer Trade in the Next Century by Klaus-Günter Deutsch and Bernhard Speyer (eds) (2001) Routledge, 304 pages, ISBN: 0415238153.

Book Info: A careful examination of the issues that would have been addressed at the 1999 World Trade Organization's Ministral Conference in Seattle. Also covers the broader implications of a potential trade round, with a guide to the policies, interests, and perspective of the major players in the debate. DLC: Free trade.

Book Description: This book draws together key issues resulting from the World Trade Organization's planned 'Millennium Round' and the hope that it will lead to freer trade as we enter the next century.
 

Development, Trade, and the WTO: A Handbook by Bernard M. Hoekman, Aaditya Mattoo and Philip English (editors) (2002) World Bank, Book and CD-ROM edition, 641 pages, ISBN: 082134997X.

From the Back Cover: International trade is a matter of vital importance for developing countries, since it can stimulate growth and contribute to poverty reduction. Trade is, however, an increasingly complex issue, and policymakers in developing countries will need to understand the many ramifications of multilateral trade agreements if their countries are to benefit from this engine of growth. Development, Trade, and the WTO summarizes the economics of sound trade policy, explains behind-the-border regulatory issues, and presents a range of perspectives on trade-related issues. It also contains two CD-ROMs with relevant data and training material. Policymakers, trade negotiators, indeed any reader interested in international trade, will find this book invaluable.
"This is not merely a timely publication, it is a very important one. It addresses a vital series of questions through contributors of the highest caliber. Trade in general and the WTO in particular are essential building blocks for a better world. Interdependence, however, can only develop effectively within a rule-based system. That fact is demonstrated in this book." — Peter Sutherland former Director-General of GATT and the WTO
"This handbook is a wonderful resource for anyone and everyone who works on trade policy in developing countries. It covers every aspect of trade affected by multilateral rules. It provides alternative perspectives on controversial issues, allowing readers to make up their own minds. And it does all this in a superbly concise and clear way." — Adrian Wood, Chief Economist, U.K. Department for International Development

Book Description: International trade is a matter of vital importance for developing countries, since it can stimulate growth and contribute to poverty reduction. Trade is, however, an increasingly complex issue, and policymakers in developing countries will need to understand the many ramifications of multilateral trade agreements if their countries are to benefit from this engine of growth.
Development, Trade, and the WTO summarizes the economics of sound trade policy, explains behind-the-border regulatory issues, and serves as a comprehensive reference on trade-related issues. It also contains two CD-ROM with relevant data and training material.
Policymakers, trade negotiators, indeed any reader interested in international trade will find this book invaluable.
This is not merely a timely publication, it is a very important one. It addresses a vital series of questions through contributors of the highest caliber. Trade in general and the WTO in particular are essential building blocks for a better world. Interdependence, however, can only develop effectively within a rule-based system. That fact is demonstrated in this book.--Peter Sutherland, former Director-General of GATT and the WTO.
This handbook is a wonderful resource for anyone and everyone who works on trade policy in developing countries. It covers every aspect of trade affected by multilateral rules. It provides alternative perspectives on controversial issues, allowing readers to make up their own minds. And it does all this in a superbly concise and clear way.--Adrian Wood, Chief Economist, UK Department for International Development
 

The Economics of the World Trading System by Kyle Bagwell and Robert W Staiger (2003) MIT Press, 224 pages, ISBN: 0262025299.

Book Info: Bagwell and Staiger provide an economic analysis and justification for the purpose and design of the GATT/WTO. They summarize their own research, discuss the major features of the GATT agreement, and survey the literature on trade agreements.

Book Description: World trade is governed by the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO sets rules of conduct for the international trade of goods and services and for intellectual property rights, provides a forum for multinational negotiations to resolve trade problems, and has a formal mechanism for dispute settlement. It is the primary institution working, through rule-based bargaining, at freeing trade. In this book Kyle Bagwell and Robert Staiger provide an economic analysis and justification for the purpose and design of the GATT/WTO. They summarize their own research, discuss the major features of the GATT agreement, and survey the literature on trade agreements. Their focus on the terms-of-trade externality is particularly original and ties the book together. Topics include the theory of trade agreements, the origin and design of the GATT and the WTO, the principles of reciprocity, the most favored nation principle, terms-of-trade theory, enforcement, preferential trade agreements, labor and environmental standards, competition policy, and agricultural export subsidies.
 

A Social Theory of the WTO: Trading Cultures by Jane Ford (2003) Palgrave Macmillan, 240 pages, ISBN: 0333998405. (sample chapter)

Synopsis: Traditional theories suggest that developing countries lack influence in the trade regime. In this text, Jane Ford uses a social theory or constructivist approach to show that developing countries played a critical role in strengthening multilateralism in the World Trade Organization. By adopting a new role in trade negotiations during the Uruguay Round negotiations, developing countries helped to strengthen trade rules and change the trading culture of limited multilateralism.

About the Author: Jane Ford is Director, Alpha Risk International and Departmental Visitor, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Australia.

Book Description: Traditional theories suggest that developing countries lack influence in the trade regime. In A Social Theory of the WTO, Jane Ford uses a social theory or constructivist approach to show that developing countries played a critical role in strengthening multilateralism in the World Trade Organization. By adopting a new role in trade negotiations during the Uruguay Round negotiations, developing countries helped to strengthen trade rules and change the trading culture of limited multilateralism.
 

The World Trading System: Law and Policy of International Economic Relations by John H. Jackson (1997) MIT Press, 2nd edition, 504 pages, ISBN: 0262600277.

Card Catalog Description: Two basic premises of The World Trading System are that economic concerns are central to foreign affairs, and that national economies are growing more interdependent. The author presents the economic principle of international trade policy and then examines how they operate under real-world constraints. In particular, he examines the extremely elaborate system of rules that governs international economic relations. Until now, the bulk of international trade policy has addressed trade in goods; issues inadequately addressed by policy include trade in services, intellectual property rights, certain investment measures, and agriculture. The author highlights the tension between legal rules, designed to create predictability and stability, and the government's need to make "exceptions" to solve short-term problems. He also looks at weaknesses of international trade policy, especially as it applies to developing countries and "economies in transition." He concludes with a look at issues that will shape international trade policy well into the twenty-first century.

About the Author: John H. Jackson is the Hessel E. Yntema Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School

Book Description: Since the first edition of The World Trading System was published in 1989, the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations has been completed, and most governments have ratified and are in the process of implementing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). In the Uruguay Round, more than 120 nations negotiated for over eight years, to produce a document of some 26,000 pages. This new edition of The World Trading System takes account of these and other developments. Like the first edition, however, its treatment of topical issues is grounded in the fundamental legal, constitutional, institutional, and political realities that mold trade policy. Thus the book continues to serve as an introduction to the study of trade law and policy. Two basic premises of The World Trading System are that economic concerns are central to foreign affairs, and that national economies are growing more interdependent. The author presents the economic principles of international trade policy and then examines how they operate under real- world constraints. In particular, he examines the extremely elaborate system of rules that governs international economic relations. Until now, the bulk of international trade policy has addressed trade in goods; issues inadequately addressed by policy include trade in services, intellectual property rights, certain investment measures, and agriculture. The author highlights the tension between legal rules, designed to create predictability and stability, and the governments need to make exceptions to solve short-term problems. He also looks at weaknesses of international trade policy, especially as it applies to developing countries and economies in transition. He concludes with a look at issues that will shape international trade policy well into the twenty-first century.
 

The Regulation of International Trade by Robert Howse and Michael J. Trebilcock (1999) Routledge; 2nd edition, 624 pages, ISBN: 0415184983.

Synopsis: An introduction to the rules and institutions that govern international trade. The authors draw their analysis on aspects of the subject from classic and contemporary literature on trade and political economy. This new edition has been fully up-dated to take account of the most recent developments in international trade. New issues covered include: trade and competition; trade and labour rights; the multilateral agreement on investing; the basic telecoms and financial services WTO Agreements; and an analysis of the first three years of WTO dispute rulings, including those of Appelate Body. This text should be a valuable guide to students of economics, law, politics and international relations.

About the Author: Michael J. Trebilcock is University Professor and Robert Howse is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. They are co-authors, with Marsha Chandler, of Trade and Transitions (Routledge, 1990).

Book Description: The Regulation of International Trade introduces the rules and institutions that govern international trade. Michael J. Trebilcock and Robert Howse examine the theory and functions of international institutions and blocs including GATT, USFTA, NAFTA and the EC and also examine current difficulties in global trade. This book also includes a comparative discussion of internal rules for the application of trade remedies to dumping and subsidies in Canada, the USA and the EC. The authors examine how trading disputes which result from protectionism are settled. Individual chapters focus on exchange rates, trade in agricultural products, trade in services, trade and development and international labor mobility. The Regulation of International Trade also covers some of the emerging issues, including investment measures, intellectual property rights and the environment. Throughout, the insights of classic and contemporary economics and political economy are related to current issues facing the world trading order. As a comprehensive text, this book will be a valuable guide to those interested in economics, law and international relations.
 

Interest Groups and Trade Policy by Gene M. Grossman and Elhanan Helpman (2002) Princeton Univ Press, 272 pages, ISBN: 0691095973.

Review: These readings showcase Grossman and Helpman's contributions to our understanding of how lobbying and interest groups affect international trade policy. Many people will want to have this collection on their shelf.

Inside Flap Copy: "The recent work by Grossman and Helpman is on the cutting edge of the theory of political influence and policy. This collection brings together and unifies their pathbreaking work and will be valuable to academics and students in both political science and economics."--Douglas Irwin, author of Free Trade Under Fire

Back Cover Copy: "The recent work by Grossman and Helpman is on the cutting edge of the theory of political influence and policy. This collection brings together and unifies their pathbreaking work and will be valuable to academics and students in both political science and economics."--Douglas Irwin, author of Free Trade Under Fire

About the Authors: Gene M. Grossman is the Jacob Viner Professor of International Economics at Princeton University, where he holds a joint appointment in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Economics. He is also the Director of Princeton's International Economics Section. Elhanan Helpman is Professor of Economics at Harvard University, the Archie Sherman Professor of International Economic Relations at Tel Aviv University, and Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research's Economic Growth and Policy Program. Grossman and Helpman have collaborated on Innovation and Growth in the Global Economy and Special Interest Politics, and on numerous well-known articles. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Book Description: Gene Grossman and Elhanan Helpman are widely acclaimed for their pioneering theoretical studies of how special interest groups seek to influence the policymaking process in democratic societies. This collection of eight of their previously published articles is a companion to their recent monograph, Special Interest Politics. It clarifies the origins of some of the key ideas in their monograph and shows how their methods can be used to illuminate policymaking in a critical area.
Following an original introduction to the contents of the book and its relationship to Special Interest Politics, the first three chapters focus on campaign contributions and candidate endorsements--two of the tools that interest groups use in their efforts to influence policy outcomes. The remaining chapters present applications to trade policy issues. Grossman and Helpman demonstrate how the approaches developed in their monograph can shed light on tariff formation in small and large countries, on the conduct of multilateral trade negotiations, and on the viability of bilateral free trade agreements. They also examine the forms that regional and multilateral trade agreements are likely to take and the ways in which firms invest abroad to circumvent trade barriers induced by political pressures. The articles collected in this volume are required reading for anyone interested in international relations, trade policy, or political economy. They show why Grossman and Helpman are global leaders in the fields of international economics and political economy.
 

The WTO and the Regulation of International Trade: Recent Trade Disputes between the European Union and the United States  by Nicholas Perdikis and Robert Read (eds.) (2005) Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 320 pages, ISBN: 1 84376 200 5.

About the Authors: Edited by Nicholas Perdikis, Senior Lecturer, School of Management and Business, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK and Robert Read, Senior Lecturer in International Economics, University of Lancaster, UK.

Book Description: This book provides a critical overview and assessment of the WTOs dispute settlement procedures in the context of several recent trade-related disputes between the EU and the US.
Case studies provide comprehensive insights into the contemporary regulation of international trade and workings of the WTO. Topics covered include:
• a critique of the GATT, WTO and NAFTA dispute settlement mechanisms
• agriculture in the light of Doha
• the CAP, beef hormones and GM food
• the banana dispute, the steel dispute and foreign trade corporations
• process and production method (PPM) issues and cases.
The WTO and the Regulation of International Trade will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the areas of international economics and political economy as well as policymakers within the EU and the US.

Contents: Preface 1. The Political Economy of Protection and the Regulation of International Trade: Recent Trade Disputes between the EU and the United States 2. Trade Dispute Settlement Mechanisms: The WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding in the Wake of the GATT 3. Trade Dispute Settlement Mechanisms: The NAFTA versus the WTO 4. The CAP as a Catalyst for Trade Conflict Between the EU and the United States 5. The Challenge of the Agriculture Trade Negotiations in the WTO Doha Round 6. The ‘Banana Split’: The EU–US Banana Trade Dispute and the Effects of EU Market Liberalisation 7. The EU–US WTO Steel Dispute: The Political Economy of Protection and the Efficacy of the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding 8. US Foreign Sales Corporations, Export Tax Credits and the WTO 9. Consumers, Cows and Carousels: Why the Dispute Over Beef Hormones is Far More Important than its Commercial Value 10. EU–US Trade in Genetically Modified Goods: A Trade Dispute in the Making 11. Process and Production Methods and the Regulation of International Trade 12. Critical Issues in WTO Dispute Settlement and Recent Trade Disputes between the EU and the United States: Some Conclusions Index

Contributors: J. E. Hobbs, W. A. Kerr, N. Perdikis, R. Read, M. Rhodes, A. Swinbank
 

Trading Voices: The European Union in International Commercial Negotiations by Sophie Meunier (2005) Princeton, NJ: Princeton, 248 pages, ISBN: 0-691-12115-X. [Introduction in pdf format]

Book Description: The European Union, the world's foremost trader, is not an easy bargainer to deal with. Its twenty-five member states have relinquished most of their sovereignty in trade to the supranational level, and in international commercial negotiations, such as those conducted under the World Trade Organization, the EU speaks with a "single voice." This single voice has enabled the Brussels-based institution to impact the distributional outcomes of international trade negotiations and shape the global political economy.

Trading Voices is the most comprehensive book about the politics of trade policy in the EU and the role of the EU as a central actor in international commercial negotiations. Sophie Meunier explores how this pooling of trade policy-making and external representation affects the EU's bargaining power in international trade talks. Using institutionalist analysis, she argues that its complex institutional procedures and multiple masters have, more than once, forced its trade partners to give in to an EU speaking with a single voice.

Through analysis of four transatlantic commercial negotiations over agriculture, public procurement, and civil aviation, Trading Voices explores the politics of international trade bargaining. It also addresses the salient political question of whether efficiency at negotiating comes at the expense of democratic legitimacy. Finally, this book looks at how the EU, with its recent enlargement and proposed constitution, might become an even more formidable rival to the United States in shaping globalization.
 

Agricultural Policy Reform And The Wto  by Anania, G. Bohman, M. E. Carter, C. A. McCalla, A. F. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And Agriculture  by Anderson, K. Josling, T. (Edward Elgar)

Economic Theory and the Interpretation of GATT/WTO  by Bagwell, K. and R. W. Staiger (American Economist, 2003)

China and the WTO: Accession, Policy Reform, and Poverty Reduction Strategies (World Bank Trade and Development Series)  by Bhattasali, D., W. Martin, S. Li (eds.) (World Bank Publications, 2004)

The WTO And Investment  by Blomström, M. Kokko, A. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO, Safeguards, And Temporary Protection For Imports  by Bown, C. P. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And Labour And Employment  by Brown, D.K. Stern, R. M. (Edward Elgar)

Trade Remedy Laws In East Asia And Wto Jurisprudence  by Choi, W.-M. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And Government Procurement  by Evenett, S. J. Hoekman, B. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And Reciprocal Preferential Trading Agreements  by Freund, C. (Edward Elgar)

China And The Challange Of Economic Globalization: The Impact Of WTO Membership  by Fung, H.-G., C. Pei and K. H. Zhang (eds.) (M.E. Sharpe, 2005)

The WTO And Technical Barriers To Trade  by Henson, S. Wilson, J. S. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And The Political Economy Of Trade Policy  by Hillman, A. L. Ethier, W. J. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And Services  by Hoekman, B. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO, Communication, E-commerce And The Internet  by Kariyawasam, R. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO, Intellectual Property Rights And The Knowledge Economy  by Maskus, K. E. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO And International Trade Law / Dispute Settlement  by Mavroidis, P. C. Sykes, A. O. (Edward Elgar, 2005)

The WTO Dispute Settlement System 1995-2003 (Studies in Transnational Economic Law)  by Ortino, F. and E.-U. Petersmann (eds.) (Kluwer Law International, 2004)

Trade Liberalization, Competition And the WTO  by Milner, C. Read, R. (Edward Elgar)

China and the WTO: Changing China, Changing World Trade  by Panitchpakdi, S. and M. L. Clifford (John Wiley & Sons, 2002)

The International Trading System, Globalization And History  by O’Rourke, K. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO, Trade And The Environment  by Sampson, G. Whalley, J. (Edward Elgar)

The WTO and Anti-dumping  by Nelson, D.R. Vandenbussche, H. (Edward Elgar)

Whose Trade Organization? A Comprehensive Guide to the World Trade Organization  by Wallach, L., P. Woodall and R. Nader (New Press, 2nd ed., 2004)

A Handbook on the WTO Dispute Settlement System  by World Trade Organization (2004)

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