Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Wto Accession (But Were Afraid To Ask)

Abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Trade, institutions, and the timing of GATT/WTO accession in post-colonial states

“…Most importantly, accession guarantees a country permanent and unconditional most favored nation (MFN) status and protection from "arbitrary protectionist measures of major trading partners" (Cattaneo and Primo Braga 2009). Since most non-member states under the GATT and WTO already enjoy some form of preferential treatment (e.g., privileged access to the markets of former colonial powers), the gains from accession are less about foreign tariff cuts than about the transparency, stability, and security of these market access conditions.…”

“…At the domestic level, accession may bolster the credibility of a government's commitment to free trade (Bagwell and Staiger 1999). This credibility enhances the attractiveness of a country to foreign producers (by ensuring secure and predictable market access), while also benefiting local producers (by limiting the government's ability to discriminate against one sector in favor of another) (Cattaneo and Primo Braga 2009).…”

The Trade Law Consequences of “Brexit”

“…Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO 12 and Article XXXIII of GATT 1947 13 deal with the accession of a country to the WTO. 14 At a glance, the UK will need to renegotiate its own terms of WTO Membership with the other (current) 163 WTO Members. 15 During the renegotiation period, WTO Members could treat the UK as a non-WTO Member and may raise significant trade barriers to British goods and services.…”

A EPI da ascensão chinesa como um ator global chave

“…The literature on China's entry to the WTO is extensive and has generated more than 20,000 scholarly contributions (Cattaneo & Braga 2009). It can be divided into two sub-areas: (a) The one that addresses the historical evolution of the relationship between GATT and WTO with China;…”

“…Nonetheless, the concept of NME is disconnected from the economic system adopted by a country and this is reflected by the fact that some NMEs are members of WTO (Cuba, for example); some Market Economies are still non-members of WTO (Monaco, for example), and some members have not been qualified as either Market Economies or NME, and therefore have an unclear legal status (Cattaneo & Braga 2009). The decision remains mostly political.…”