IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wpa/wuwpma/0012005.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Origins of the GATT: British Resistance to American Multilateralism

Author

Listed:
  • James N. Miller

    (Cambridge Univ & Levy Econ Inst)

Abstract

Fiftieth-anniversary explanations for the efficacy of the GATT imply that the institution's longevity is testimony to the free trade principles upon which it is based. In this light, the predominantly American architects of the system figure as free trade visionaries who benevolently imposed postwar institutions of international cooperation on their war-torn allies. This paper takes issue with such a characterization. Instead, the success of the GATT has been crucially dependent upon its ability to generate pragmatic and detailed policy via a uniquely inclusive forum. An effective institutional procedure, not free trade dogma, has proved key to its endurance—and this feature has been in place since the institution's inception.

Suggested Citation

  • James N. Miller, 2001. "Origins of the GATT: British Resistance to American Multilateralism," Macroeconomics 0012005, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpma:0012005
    Note: Type of Document - Adobe Acrobat PDF; prepared on IBM PC; to print on PostScript; pages: 46; figures: included
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://econwpa.ub.uni-muenchen.de/econ-wp/mac/papers/0012/0012005.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stein, Arthur A., 1984. "The hegemon's dilemma: Great Britain, the United States, and the international economic order," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(2), pages 355-386, April.
    2. Anonymous, 1953. "Economic Planning for the Peace. By E. F. Penrose. (Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1953. Pp. xiv, 384. $7.50.)," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(3), pages 912-912, September.
    3. Irwin, Douglas A, 1995. "The GATT in Historical Perspective," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(2), pages 323-328, May.
    4. Anonymous, 1949. "International Trade Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 353-354, May.
    5. Ikenberry, G. John, 1992. "A world economy restored: expert consensus and the Anglo-American postwar settlement," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(1), pages 289-321, January.
    6. C. Fred Bergsten, 1998. "Fifty Years of the GATT/WTO: Lessons from the Past for Strategies for the Future," Working Paper Series WP98-3, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    7. Anonymous, 1949. "International Trade Organization," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(1), pages 159-161, February.
    8. Maier, Charles S., 1977. "The politics of productivity: foundations of American international economic policy after World War II," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 31(4), pages 607-633, October.
    9. Charles K. Rowley & Willem Thorbecke & Richard E. Wagner, 1995. "Trade Protection In The United States," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 388.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. James N. Miller, 2000. "Origins of the GATT - British Resistance to American Multilateralism," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_318, Levy Economics Institute.
    2. Jagadish K. Patnaik, 2000. "The World Trade System: The Structure and Organizations," India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, , vol. 56(3-4), pages 35-52, July.
    3. Cymbal, W. & Veeman, M.M., 1994. "Canadian Agriculture and GATT: An Economic Analysis of Article XI," Project Report Series 232387, University of Alberta, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology.
    4. J. Bradford De Long and Barry Eichengreen., 1991. "The Marshall Plan: History's Most Successful Structural Adjustment Program," Economics Working Papers 91-184, University of California at Berkeley.
    5. Eichengreen, Barry, 1993. "A Marshall Plan for the East: Options for 1993," Center for International and Development Economics Research (CIDER) Working Papers 233185, University of California-Berkeley, Department of Economics.
    6. Michele Alacevich, 2010. "Development Agency or Bank? Vision and Strategy of the World Bank in the 50’s and 60’s," QA - Rivista dell'Associazione Rossi-Doria, Associazione Rossi Doria, issue 1, March.
    7. Maurice Obstfeld, 2021. "Globalization and nationalism: Retrospect and prospect," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(4), pages 675-690, October.
    8. Siemoneit, Andreas, 2023. "Growth imperatives as a conflict between efficiency and justice," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 301394, September.
    9. Petros C. Mavroidis & Merit E. Janow, 2017. "Free Markets, State Involvement, and the WTO: Chinese State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the Ring," RSCAS Working Papers 2017/13, European University Institute.
    10. Fernando Guirao & Frances M. B. Lynch, 2011. "The implicit theory of historical change in the work of Alan S. Milward," Economics Working Papers 1290, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    11. Robert Pahre, 1998. "Reactions and Reciprocity," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 42(4), pages 467-492, August.
    12. Richard E. Baldwin, 2011. "Multilateralising Regionalism: Spaghetti Bowls as Building Blocks on the Path to Global Free Trade," Chapters, in: Miroslav N. Jovanović (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Integration, Volume I, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Rose, Andrew K., 2004. "Do WTO members have more liberal trade policy?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 209-235, July.
    14. Lampe, Markus, 2009. "Effects of Bilateralism and the MFN Clause on International Trade: Evidence for the Cobden-Chevalier Network, 1860-1875," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 69(4), pages 1012-1040, December.
    15. Eichengreen, Barry, 1987. "Hegemonic Stability Theories of the International Monetary System," CEPR Discussion Papers 193, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    16. Mai'a K. Davis Cross, 2015. "The Limits of Epistemic Communities: EU Security Agencies," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(1), pages 90-100.
    17. Chwieroth, Jeffrey & Walter, Andrew, 2015. "Great expectations, veto players, and the changing politics of banking crises," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60953, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    18. Nelson, Douglas R., 2015. "Prospects for Constitutionalization of the WTO," World Trade Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(1), pages 135-153, January.
    19. James Tanoos, 2012. "Industry-Based Foreign Direct Investment Around State Gubernatorial Elections: Evidence From The United States," Global Journal of Business Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 6(5), pages 1-18.
    20. Pavlidis, Efthymios G. & Paya, Ivan & Peel, David A., 2011. "Real exchange rates and time-varying trade costs," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 1157-1179, October.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpma:0012005. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: EconWPA (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://econwpa.ub.uni-muenchen.de .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.