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Plurilateral Cooperation as an Alternative to Trade Agreements: Innovating One Domain at a Time

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  • Bernard Hoekman
  • Charles Sabel

Abstract

At the end of 2017 different groups of WTO members decided to launch talks on four subjects, setting aside the WTO consensus working practice. This paper argues that these ‘joint statement initiatives’ (JSIs) should seek to establish open plurilateral agreements (OPAs) even in instances where the outcome can be incorporated into existing schedules of commitments of participating WTO members. Designing agreements as OPAs provides an institutional framework for collaboration among the responsible national authorities, transparency, mutual review and learning, as well as alternatives to default WTO dispute settlement procedures which may not be appropriate for supporting cooperation on the matters addressed by the JSIs. In parallel, WTO members should establish enforceable multilateral principles to ensure OPAs are compatible with an open global trade regime.

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  • Bernard Hoekman & Charles Sabel, 2021. "Plurilateral Cooperation as an Alternative to Trade Agreements: Innovating One Domain at a Time," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(S3), pages 49-60, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:12:y:2021:i:s3:p:49-60
    DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.12923
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    Cited by:

    1. Sjöholm, Fredrik, 2023. "The Return of Borders in the World Economy: An EU-Perspective," Working Paper Series 1469, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    2. Kym Anderson, 2022. "Agriculture in a more uncertain global trade environment," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(4), pages 563-579, July.
    3. Kent Jones, 2023. "Populism, Globalization, and the Prospects for Restoring the WTO," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 11(1), pages 181-192.
    4. Bernard M. Hoekman & Petros C. Mavroidis & Douglas R. Nelson, 2023. "Geopolitical competition, globalisation and WTO reform," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 1163-1188, May.
    5. Robert Wolfe, 2022. "Is using trade policy for foreign policy a “SNO job”? On linkage, friend-shoring and the challenges for multilateralism," RSCAS Working Papers 2022/74, European University Institute.
    6. Bernard Hoekman & Robert Wolfe, 2021. "Reforming the World Trade Organization: Practitioner Perspectives from China, the EU, and the US," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(4), pages 1-34, July.
    7. Shamel Azmeh, 2024. "Developing Countries and Joint Statement Initiatives at the WTO: Damned if You Join, Damned if You Don't?," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 55(3), pages 375-397, May.
    8. Bernard Hoekman & Robert Wolfe, 2021. "WTO Reform As a Triangular Problem among China, the EU and the US," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 22(02), pages 12-16, March.

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    JEL classification:

    • F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order and Integration
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements

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