Emerging Powers in the WTO: Developing Countries and Trade in the 21st Century

The most important dimension of globalization in the last thirty years and especially since 2000 has been the dramatic increase of developing country participation in world trade and the emergence of a number of powers such as Brazil, China and India that are playing an important role in the global economy and in the WTO. But many other developing countries continue to struggle to transform their economies, handicapped by institutional constraints and protection against their exports both in developed and developing country markets. This volume examines the main factors for developing country trade performance in the last thirty years, their own trade policies, market access issues they face, and their increasingly more effective participation in the WTO and the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations. The last part addresses the future role of the WTO in the international trade system in connection with the challenges it faces from the multitude of preferential trade agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the US and the EU; and recommends an action program for the more effective participation of developing countries in the world trade.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables Preface List of Abbreviations Introduction: Developing Countries in World Trade 1. Trends in Developing-Country Trade, 1980-2010 2. Trade and Development in GATT and the WTO 3. WTO Accession Issues 4. Developing-Country Policies 5. Developing-Country Trade-Related Institutions and Aid for Trade 6. Developed-Country Policies 7. The TRIPs Agreement and Developing Countries 8. Developing-Country Participation in the WTO 9. The Doha Round Negotiations 10. The Future of WTO in Global Governance 11. Conclusions and Recommendations Appendix 1: Country Groupings Appendix 2: Method of Estimating Frequency Ratios References Index

About the Author :
Constantine Michalopoulos wrote this volume while a Visiting Scholar at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. For many years he was a senior official at the World Bank and has served as Chief Economist of the US Agency for International Development and as Special Advisor at the WTO. Following his retirement from the World Bank he has been a consultant to many governments and international organizations on trade, aid and development. He is an author of several books and over 100 monographs and articles on these issues.

Review :
"The participation of developing countries in global trade has increased dramatically since the 1980s. This excellent book provides a highly readable analysis of the drivers of this change, the disparities in outcomes across countries and the implications for the multilateral trading system. It should be required reading for all tarde and development practitioners." - Bernard Hoekman, Director, Global Economics, European University Institute, Florence, Italy "Congratulations- Emerging Powers in the WTO will make a great contribution to the subject and wonderful material for both students and practitioners.I am enjoying and learning a lot from it. - K.Y. Amoako, President, African Center for Economic Transfromation, Accra, Ghana "The global trading landscape has changed dramatically since the Uruguay Round. Michalopoulos draws upon his decades of experience at the intersection of trade and development to analyse these changes in technology, geopolitics and commercial practices, and provides the path for the trading system's response to these realities. A must read for anyone who is serious about understanding today's global economy." -Peter Allgeier, President,Coalition of Services Industries, former US Ambassador to the WTO "Developing countries have long perceived themselves as disadvantaged in the world trading system. But much has changed in recent years. This is an excellent overview, from the developing countries viewpoint, of their role in the WTO and a fine reference for those interested in a comprehensive update of their participation in world trade." - Anne Krueger, Senior Fellow, Stanford Center for International Development and Senior Research Professor, SAIS, Johns Hopkins University