The future of trade and development cooperation
A new blog for the Institute for Development Studies
The 14th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC14) from 26 – 29 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon, failed to deliver the necessary push for reform, with only some small steps forward. An inclusive, evidence-based WTO should empower all members and make better use of knowledge about trade’s real impacts.
Addressing disconnects between the benefits of international trade, and its distributional effects demands recasting WTO’s institutional reach alongside a systematic broadening of its knowledge base. Reforming the decision-making process and lowering the costs of participation will be critical. Only then can trade policy live up to its promise of benefits for all, not just the few.
With Amrita Saha, Research Fellow, Institute for Development Studies; Sachin Kumar Sharma, Director General, RIS; Prabir De, Professor, RIS; Wilfre Velez Bohorquez; Research Assistant and Mattia Di Ubaldo UK Trade Policy Observatory.
Emergent Economics 