Concepts of Fairness in the Global Trading System
dc.contributor.author | Brown, Andrew G. | |
dc.contributor.author | Stern, Robert M. | |
dc.date | 2006-02 | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2006-05-24T19:48:59Z | |
dc.date.available | 2006-05-24T19:48:59Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2006-05-24T19:48:59Z | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/39185 | |
dc.description.abstract | How are we to assess the fairness of the global trading system as embodied in the GATT/WTO? Opinions about what constitutes fairness differ widely, and there is surely no incontrovertible yardstick. But can we be clearer about the criteria that are appropriate and what they mean in more operational terms? In this paper, we first discuss why fairness is a condition of the agreements among governments that form the global trading system. We then suggest that fairness can best be considered within the framework of two concepts: equality of opportunity and distributive equity. We observe that the efficiency criterion is not a primary yardstick of fairness, and though it is relevant in choosing among alternative ways of realizing fairness, it is not without its own limitations. We thereafter discuss what equality of opportunity and distributive equity mean when applied to the commitments that governments make in the global trading system. For this purpose, we divide these commitments into four categories: those relating directly to market access; those concerning supporting rules designed to prevent cheating in market access commitments or to facilitate trade flows; those relating to procedures for the settlement of disputes or the use of trade remedy measures; and those relating to governance of the system. (We say nothing in this paper about the issue of fairness in the context of the last category.) Finally, we make some comments about fairness in the Doha Development Round, first reviewing some proposals made by Stiglitz and Charlton, and then making some observations about the central issue of market access. | en |
dc.format.extent | 166977 bytes | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en |
dc.relation.ispartofseries | 013 | en |
dc.subject | Fairness, Equality of Opportunity, Distributive Equity, Global Trading System | en |
dc.subject.other | D63, F02, F10, F13 | en |
dc.title | Concepts of Fairness in the Global Trading System | en |
dc.type | Working Paper | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Social Sciences | |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | International Policy Center (IPC); Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy | en |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | Department of Economics | en |
dc.contributor.affiliationumcampus | Ann Arbor | |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39185/1/IPC-working-paper-013-BrownStern.pdf | en_US |
dc.owningcollname | International Policy Center (IPC) - Working Paper Series |
Files in this item
Remediation of Harmful Language
The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.
Accessibility
If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.