The World Economy After The Uruguay Round

There are growing pressures to reform the international trading system beyond whatever is accomplished in the Uruguay Round. This study assesses the present GATT system and concludes that the need for further reform is far-reaching. Whalley finds that the principles underlying the current system - nondiscrimination and multilateralism - will not adequately serve in the future to reduce trade barriers and promote the benefits of trade. The study outlines new approaches to reduce the level of protection and harness new regional trading arrangements to improve global economic performance.

The GATT was established in 1947 as a multilateral agreement on international trade. Of the eight rounds of negotiations, the Uruguay Round, covering the period from 1981 to 1994, had the widest participation and involved the most intensive negotiations. It was also the most comprehensive round, encompassing new areas such as trade in services and the protection of intellectual property, as well as longstanding problem areas such as agriculture and textiles. Most significantly, this round resulted in the establishment of a permanent World Trade Organization, which will provide the institutional basis for future international trade and a forum for settlement of disputes.

Agricultural liberalization and the Uruguay round; The Uruguay round: an assessment of economywide and agricultural reforms; Trade in manufactures: the outcome of the Uruguay round and developing country interest; Liberalizing manufactures trade in changing world economy; The Uruguay round and market access: opportunities and challenges for developing countries; Assessing the Uruguay round.

Experience suggests that trade liberalization has contributed substantially to the remarkable growth of industrialized countries. However, for various reasons many developing countries have not yet been able to integrate successfully into global markets and reap the growth-inducing and poverty-reducing benefits of trade. This book argues that while developing countries are heavily represented in the WTO - accounting for about four-fifths of its membership - there is still plenty of scope for the world trading system to work more effectively in their interests.

The completion of the Uruguay round promised a new era in international trading relations. However, there remains a wide range of issues which could threaten international trading stability, including regionalisation and regionalism, increased non-tariff forms of protection and the proliferation of unilateral and bilateral trade deals. This work assesses both the immediate impact of the GATT deal and the future of the world trading system. It concludes with an assessment of the long-term possibilities for creating a mutually beneficial world economic system.