The Doha Blues: Institutional Crisis and Reform in the Wto

ISBN-13: 9780195378825 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 254 str.

Kent Jones

Opis

The collapse of the Doha Round hangs heavily over an already troubled world economy. Some have concluded that this failure is simply the result of a lack of political will and a pre-occupation with issues such as terrorism. But as Kent Jones reveals in The Doha Blues, the World Trade Organization needs serious structural changes, not just political backbone. He shows for instance that the WTO--now with 153 members--has become increasingly unwieldy in terms of concluding trade agreements and he suggests that countries organize around specific platform positions, a strategy that would make the "holy grail" of consensus once again possible. Jones also argues for financial support for poorer countries so that they can participate effectively in negotiations and he contends that the principle of the "single undertaking" (that "there is no agreement until everything is agreed") has become a serious and perhaps crippling constraint, and must be modified. Jones is a leading authority on trade policy and his book illuminates the real stumbling blocks to trade liberalization and highlights the way around them.

Recenzje

Jones offers broad, thoughtful discussions of some of the principle problems plaguing the world trade system... His analysis is a welcome addition to the literature.

O autorze

Kent Jones is Professor of Economics at Babson College. He specializes in trade policy issues, particularly industrial adjustment to import competition. His current research focuses on the World Trade Organization. He has served as a consultant to the National Science Foundation and the International Labor Office and as a research associate at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and was senior economist for trade policy at the U.S. Department of State.