Development and the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization: a survival analysis

Abstract

This paper analyses whether the level of development affects a state’s participation in the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The methodology relies on the Survival Analysis with two different tools. First, the Kaplan-Meier Curve, which indicates the survival time of an individual until the occurrence of an event, was plotted. Thereafter, the Cox Regression was used. This tool associates Survival Analysis to linear regression in order to examine the impacts of some independent variables on the time until the occurrence of the observed events. The results showed that states with higher levels of GDP and HDI, and with a larger population, have more chances of initiating a dispute and being a respondent. Likewise, the American and the European continents are more likely to experience these events. Developed and Developing countries experience the incidence of an event more easily when compared to Least Developed Countries.