World Trade Organisation WTO and Developing Countries : Diplomacy to Rules Based System

Contents: Preface. I. Introductory: 1. Origination of GATT--Uruguay round--WTO. 2. Membership, entry into force and pipeline protection. 3. Intellectual property: relationship between WIPO and WTO. II. Objectives, Basic Principles and Functions of WTO: 1. Objectives and principles. 2. Reciprocity and substantive reduction of Tariffs. 3. Enhancement of productivity and diversification of exports of commodity reliant countries. 4. Provision relating to trade measures for environmental purpose. 5. Relationship between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and trade. 6. Eco-labelling and other technical regulations. 7. Transparency of trade and environmental measures. 8. Environmental measures and effect on market access. 9. Issue of the export of domestically prohibited goods. 10. TRIPs and provisions relating to environment. 11. Functions and structure of WTO. III. WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism Reform on GATT Doctrine: 1. Pre-WTO dispute settlement mechanism. 2. Weaknesses of the pre-WTO dispute settlement mechanism. 3. An overview of dispute settlement since 1948-1990. 4. WTO dispute settlement mechanism--reform on GATT doctrine. 5. Implication of reforms on dispute settlement. IV. Free Trade and Environment: Harmonisation or diversity?: 1. Environment committee under GATT/WTO. 2. Old GATT and environment. 3. Environmental issues under WTO. 4. Diversity of harmonisation?. V. Developing Countries: Globalisation and WTO: 1. Globalisation and developing countries. 2. Globalisation and role of state. 3. WTO and developing countries. 4. Subsidies and countervailing measures. 5. Trade related investment measures. 6. General agreement on trade in service. VI. Singapore Ministerial Conference and the Developing and Least Developing Countries: 1. Labour standards and developing countries. 2. Government procurement. 3. Competition policy. 4. Trade and investment. 5. Information technology. 6. Basic Telecommunication. 7. WTO Action Plan for Least Developed countries. VII. Conclusion and Suggestions. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.

"World Trade Organisation (WTO) is a catalyst and harbinger of rule based international trading system, global peace, prosperity and equity distribution. This timely book assesses the counter-hegemonic role of WTO to weed out protectionism, unilaterialism and monopolisation over international trade and market.

WTO is a significant step for pulling out the developing countries from the paradoxical rapture of \'no rule situation\' on access to the international market, ensuring their comparative advantages and better competitive environment.

The book explores the controversy behind the conclusion of the WTO in its histroical perspective. Primarily written from the developing countries point of view, it takes into account the other major economic events, viz., the birth of the UNCTAD, Resolutions of NIEO and the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, and the growing importance of developing countries in the world trade particularly of the newly industrialising countries (NICs), whose role in the world trade became increasingly vital from the 1970\'s.

Unlike to the Orthodox, sceptics and chauvinist the book favours multilateralism and harmonisation of international trade rule. Though, it recognises WTO as both opportunity and risk to DCs, particularly to the LDCs, the Book optimistically argues that the rule based system and effective mechanism of WTO ensures opportunities to them.

The learned author argues that the major challenge posed to DCs and LDCs is no more the extraneous one, rather it is their own counterproductive and eu-functional structural functional pattern of state and government. In this regard the Book pleads for \'post modernist\' and \'effective state\' to procure benefit from multilateral trading system." (jacket)