|
An Introduction to the
International Trade Institutions
Tuesday/Thursday 8:00-10:00
Spring Term, part one
This
module will provide students with an introduction to the main
multilateral and plurilateral organizations and institutions governing
international trade and investment relations. By considering why
governments have established these intergovernmental organizations, how
they affect the behavior of member governments, and how they can resolve
problems in international relations, students will gain a thorough
appreciation of the important role these organizations play in
conditioning the flow of international trade and investment and
governing relations among countries, how they function, the roles of
member governments and secretariat officials, how decisions are made and
the consequences of such decisions, and how disputes are resolved. As a
result, students should be able to identify how and why an international
organization can - or cannot - contribute to the resolution
of specific problems faced by governments or firms as a result of
international trade and investment.
Topics
The
module will begin with a consideration of the role of the international
institutions in governing and managing trade and economic relations
between organizations. It will then turn to an overview of the
structure, role and competence of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and
its constituent agreements, including the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade (GATT), the various ancillary agreements on goods (e.g., on
agriculture, antidumping, subsidies, safeguards, textiles, investment,
licensing, etc.), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (CATS), the
Agreement on Trade‑Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS),
the Understanding on Dispute Settlement (DSU) and the Trade Policy
Review Mechanism (TPRM). The course will consider the origins of these
agreements, the goals and objectives sought by member governments, the
extent to which these are met, the structure of the rights and
obligations in the agreements, the nature of decision‑making, the
approach to the resolution of disputes, and other constitutional and
institutional aspects. The module will also briefly consider the
structure, role and competence of other multilateral institutions in the
trade field, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC), the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), commodity councils (such as the International Wheat
Council), and specialized functional agencies (such as the World
Intellectual Property Organization - WIPO). Finally, the module will
briefly examine the relationship of the international trade
organizations to the international financial institutions, such as the
International Monetary Fund (IMP), the World Bank (IBRD), and the
regional banks (such as the Inter-American Development Bank).
Suggested
Reading
The
suggested readings for each week amount to more than what most students
have either the time or inclination to read. That is understood. The
available material is of uneven quality and no single source provides
adequate coverage or explanation. As a result, the suggested readings
provide a range of selections on the material to be covered each week,
written from a variety of perspectives. Since this module will require
no written work other than the take‑home exam to be distributed at
the end of week three, students are encouraged to read as much as
possible and to select from the readings a sufficient range of material
to prepare themselves for class. The case material can be found on the
Internet. Students are encouraged to become familiar with the sites of
the major trade and economic organizations and the resources they offer.
Grading
A
take‑home exam, worth 75 per cent of the final grade, will test
the ability of students to prepare documents/speeches/memoranda that are
typical of those prepared in government and private firms and which will
demonstrate their understanding of the structure and principles of
international institutions, their role in governing conduct among
governments, and their influence on the flow of international trade and
investment. Class participation will count for 25 per cent of the final
grade.
Office Hours
I
will maintain office hours at the Trade Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 10:00 to 12:00 or by appointment (647-6561).
Topics
Week One
Characteristics of the international economy
Role of firms and governments
Role of international agreements and
institutions
Origins of multilateral and other trade and
investment institutions
Interaction between multilateralism and
regionalism
How international institutions are organized
and function
Suggested
Readings
1.
G. J. Lanjouw, International
Trade Institutions (London:
Longman, 1995) - read all over course of four week s as a basic primer
on international trade institutions. A Leroy Bennett, Internat*onal Organizations, 5th revised edition (Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice‑Hall, 1991), 1-21, 250-270.
or
Joan Spero, The Polit*s of
International Economic Relations, 4th edition (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990), 1‑30,
103‑144.
3.
John Gerard Ruggie, "The Anatomy of an Institution," in John
Gerard Ruggie, ea., Multilateralism
Matters: The Theory and Praxis of
an Institutional Form (New
York: Columbia University Press, 1993), pp. 3-47. Anne‑Marie
Burley, "Regulating the World: Multilateralism, International Law,
and the Projection of the New Deal Regulatory State," in John
Gerard Ruggie, ea., Multilateralism
Matters: The Theory and Praxis of an Institutional Form (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993), pp. 125-156. Susan Strange,
"Political Economy and International Relations," in Ken Booth
and Steve Smith, eds., International
lRelat*ons Theory Today (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995),
pp. 154-174.
Cases and
Empirical Material
Singapore Ministerial Declaration and
Chairman's Concluding Remarks.
Week Two
Topics
The origins and main features of the World
Trade Organization Agreement and its constituent agreements, including
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the General Agreement
on Trade in Services (CATS), and the Agreement on TradeRelated
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
·
How the GATT/WTO functions ‑ secretariat, delegations, councils,
working parties, and panels.
Suggested
Readings
1.
Judith Goldstein, "Creating the GATT Rules: Politics, Institutions,
and American Policy," in John Gerard Ruggie, ea., Multilateral*m Matters: The Theory and Praxis of an Institutional Form (New
York: Columbia University Press, 1993), pp. 201-232.
or
Jock A. Finlayson and Mark W. Zacher, "The GATT and the regulation
of trade barriers: regime dynamics and functions," in Stephen D.
Krasner, ea., International
Regimes (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1983), pp.
273‑314.
2.
John H. Jackson, The World Trading
System: Law and Policy of International Economic Relations, 2d
edition (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997), 31-78.
or
John H. Jackson, "Managing the Trading System: The World Trade
Organization and the Post‑Uruguay Round GATT Agenda," in
Peter B. Kenen, ea., Managing the
World Economy: Fifity Years After Bretton Woods (Washington:
Institute for International Economics, 1994), 131-151.
3.
UNCTAD, The Outcome of the Uruguay
Round: An Initial Assessment (Geneva: UNCTAD, 1994), 7-16.
or
Schott, Jeffrey J., The Uruguay
Round: An Assessment (Washington: Institute for International
Economics, 1995), pp. 3-39.
Cases and
Empirical Material
WTO, Selections fromThe World Trade Organization Agreement (Geneva, 1994).
Week Three
Topics
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),
the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) and other trade-related
organizations. How the UNCTAD and OECD function - secretariat,
delegations, conferences, governing bodies, councils, committees, etc.
·
Sectoral and Specialized Functional Organizations, such as the
International Wheat Council, the Food and Agricultural Organization, and
the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Suggested
Readings
G. J. Lanjouw, International Trade Institutions (London: Longman, 1995).
Cases and
Empirical Material
Selection
of OECD and UNCTAD documents on selected problems, e.g., Investment and
Commodities
Week Four
Topics
The interrelationship between the
trade‑related organizations and the financial institutions, such as
the International Monetary Fund (IMP), the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD or World Bank), the regional banks
(such as the Inter‑American Development Bank). Concertation of
international economic policy through Summits and the Quadrilateral Trade
Ministers Meetings.
Suggested
Readings
1.
G. J. Lanjouw, International
Trade Institutions (London: Longman, 1995).
2.
Barry Eichengreen and
Peter B. Kenen, "Managing the World Economy under the Bretton Woods
System: An Overview," in Peter B. Kenen, ea., Managing
the World Economy: Fifity Years After Bretton Woods (Washington:
Institute for International Economics, 1994), 3-57.
3.
Cowhey and Jonathan Aronson, Managing
the World Economy: The Consequences of Corporate Alliances (New York:
Council on Foreign Relations), 3-88.
4.
4. Emile van Lennep, "Institutional Aspects of International
Economic Policy Cooperation and Coordination," in H. J. Blommestein, The Reality of International Economic Policy Coordination. (New
York: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1991), 61-105. or Ralph C. Bryant, International
Coordination of National Stabilization Policies (Washington:
Brookings, 1995), 102-129.
Cases and
Empirical Material
Selected Summit declarations; Quad Press
releases.
|