The Politics of WTO Reform: Debating EU and US Roles Towards Sustainable Development

Aims and scope

The challenge of reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) to reflect an agenda where all countries can live well and within the means of the planet has become one of the most pressing problems within global economic governance. A focus on sustainable development is contained in the original WTO Preamble, yet many analysts have questioned the extent to which this has been a primary objective in the history of the organisation. Such concerns have become more pronounced in the context of the Doha Round where negotiation proposals linked to development have often not matched the expectations of many actors. How the Members of the WTO system chart a viable course of reforms post-Doha will be crucial in terms of both normative concerns and livelihood security, for developed and developing countries alike. As principal players within the organisation, it is vital to understand how the ideas and actions of the trade superpowers - the EU and the US - shape core norms and policy prescriptions. The EU and the US play different roles in the politics of WTO reform, sometimes converging, often diverging. The meaning and practice of reform is a deeply political business and many proposals bear the strong imprint of the EU and the US. These actors work to organise some trade issues into the WTO, and organise other issues out. Some Members are enabled by certain reforms, others are disabled.

This research project represents an agenda to study the politics of WTO reform with a particular focus on the EU and US. Led by the University of Oxford (core institution: European Studies Centre) and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, it brings together scholars and practitioners in an international collaborative project, with a view to become a ‘network of networks'. The initiative aims not to artificially divorce theoretical frameworks from policy options, but rather, to bridge, and understand the relationships between, both bodies of knowledge. In turn, it is expected that the results of such enquiries will have enhanced policy relevance and value in the trade community. The work of the network began with a conceptualisation phase, before organising events that have brought policymakers into engagements with academics on the future of WTO reform. Please return to this webpage for forthcoming updates.

Research agenda

Based on collaborative discussions, the group has outlined a research agenda that provides a basis for forthcoming outputs. See here for details.

The group is pursuing research under different clusters, including:

• Conceptual debates concerning legitimacy, notions of 'fairness', and ethics in the trading regime;
• Decision-making;
• Contested boundaries and issue linkages; and
• The relationship between multilateralism and preferentialism, including a specific focus on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (APC) countries.

Activities

On October 26, 2007, a successful meeting was held at the European Studies Centre, Oxford, to discuss different themes and topics related to the project. Denis Redonnet, Deputy Head of Cabinet for External Trade at the European Commission, was in attendance. Forthcoming events, as well as subsequent publications, will be posted here.

Biographies of core research team

A distinguishing feature of the project is the combined academic and policy expertise of the lead researchers, including a record of prior collaboration. The network is always evolving and is open to new ideas and people. For details on biographies, please see here.

Contact details

For all enquiries, please contact Matthew Eagleton-Pierce (Research Officer).