Book Launch: Governing the World Trade Organization: Past, Present and Beyond Doha

The book “Governing the World Trade Organization: Past, Present and Beyond Doha” will be presented by Kim B. Hughes, Cambridge University Press, Prof. Thomas Cottier and Prof. Manfred Elsig, both World Trade Institute, University of Bern.

The book launch is jointly organized by Cambridge University Press and the World Trade Institute and is a side event of the WTO Public Forum in Geneva. The event will take place from 18:30 – 19:30 in the new South Courtyard 1 Meeting Room of the World Trade Organization in Geneva.

The book “Governing the World Trade Organization: Past, Present and Beyond Doha” is a volume of The World Trade Forum Series edited by Thomas Cottier and Manfred Elsig, Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Abstract
Like many other international organizations, the World Trade Organization stands at a crossroads. There is an obvious imbalance between the organization's dispute settlement arm and its negotiation platform. While its current rules, supported by a strong dispute settlement system, have provided some buffering against the negative effects of the financial crises, its negotiation machinery has not produced any substantial outcomes since the late 1990s. It has become obvious that the old way of doing business does not work any more and fresh ideas about governing the organization are needed. Based on rigorous scholarship, this volume of essays offers critical readings on the functioning of the system and provides policy-relevant ideas that go beyond incremental redesign but avoid the trap of romantic scenarios.