The Genesis of the GATT

This book is part of a wider project that aims to propose a model GATT that makes good economic sense without undoing its current basic structure. It asks: What does the historical record indicate about the aims and objectives of the framers of the GATT? To what extent does the historical record provide support for one or more of the economic rationales for the GATT? The book supports that the two main framers of the GATT were the United Kingdom and the United States; developing countries' influence was noticeable only after the mid-1950s. The framers understood the GATT as a pro-peace instrument; however, they were mindful of the costs of achieving such a far-reaching objective and were not willing to allocate them disproportionately. This may explain why their negotiations were based on reciprocal market access commitments so that the terms of trade were not unevenly distributed or affected through the GATT.

Author: Douglas A. Irwin, Petros C. Mavroidis, Alan O. Sykes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 05/01/2009
Pages: 330
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.19lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780521142069

About the Author
Sykes, Alan O.: - Alan O. Sykes is James and Patricia Kowal Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. A leading expert on the application of economics to legal problems, Sykes has focused his research on international economic relations.Mavroidis, Petros C.: - Petros C. Mavroidis is Edwin Parker Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, New York, and Professor of Law at the University of Neuchâtel. He is chief reporter of the American Law Institute for the project 'Principle of International Trade: The WTO' and Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research.Irwin, Douglas A.: - Douglas A. Irwin is Robert E. Maxwell Professor of Arts and Sciences in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College. He is author of Free Trade under Fire (2002) and Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade (1996).

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