{"id":6565,"date":"2016-08-23T16:42:12","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T16:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/masterybusiness2xngcxmasterspring2016\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=6565"},"modified":"2024-05-02T19:40:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T19:40:02","slug":"the-world-trade-organization-wto","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-introductiontobusiness\/chapter\/the-world-trade-organization-wto\/","title":{"raw":"The World Trade Organization (WTO)","rendered":"The World Trade Organization (WTO)"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Describe the role of the WTO in promoting global trade<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-12439\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3006\/2016\/08\/24202335\/43263603830_fd3651de98_k-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"speakers and participants at the 2018 WTO public forum\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/>In the post\u2013World War II environment, countries came to realize that a major component of achieving any degree\u00a0of global peace was global cooperation\u2014politically, economically, and socially. The intent was to level the trade playing field and reduce economic areas of disagreement, since inequality in these areas could lead to more serious conflicts. Nations agreed to work together to promote free trade, and, with the help of key international organizations like the World Trade Organizations, they entered into bilateral and multilateral agreements.\r\n<h2>GATT: How the World Trade Organization Got Its Start<\/h2>\r\nBefore you begin your\u00a0reading on the World Trade Organization (WTO), take a few minutes to watch the following video that will give you some background on\u00a0<strong>General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)<\/strong> and explain how it grew into the WTO we know today. Remember, the world is much smaller today than when your parents and grandparents were growing up, and international trade hasn't always been the norm. After watching the video, consider\u00a0how impossible world trade would be without some type of agreement among nations.\r\n\r\nEnjoy!\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=3704537&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=27J3CByXKow&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-hjasju98-27J3CByXKow\" width=\"800px\" height=\"520px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/Episode37GATTWTO_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">view the transcript for \"Episode 37: GATT\/WTO\" (opens in new window)<\/a>\u00a0or the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/Episode37GATT_WTO_alternative.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">text alternative for \"Episode 37: GATT\/WTO\" (opens in new window)<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAs you saw in the video, what began with one agreement (GATT) eventually evolved into the WTO. In fact, GATT was the only multilateral instrument governing global trade from 1946 until 1995. Given\u00a0the difficulty of trying to regulate trade among more than one hundred\u00a0nations according to\u00a0a single document, it's\u00a0easy to see why\u00a0the WTO came into existence. It became clear to the participating nations that GATT\u00a0was incapable of adapting to an increasingly globalized world economy. Moreover, when the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations was\u00a0launched in September 1986, it marked the largest global effort to structure trade in history. Today, GATT still exists as the WTO\u2019s umbrella treaty for trade in goods, but it's no longer the only legally binding global-trade agreement.\r\n\r\nWhat does the WTO actually do? Among its various functions, the most important are the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Oversees\u00a0the implementation and administration of the agreements between nations that fall under the WTO\u2019s scope of authority<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Provides\u00a0a forum for negotiations and settling disputes among nations<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn recent years, the WTO has also made it a priority to assist developing nations as they come under WTO regulation. Many developing countries and emerging markets lack the experience and technical expertise needed to deal with large and very comprehensive trade agreements. The WTO provides them with critical training and support, thereby ensuring that the WTO is inclusive and equitable toward\u00a0both the wealthiest and the poorest nations in the world.\r\n\r\nPart of the nondiscrimination mandate of the WTO is most-favored-nation (MFN) status. Most-favored-nation status requires that a WTO member must apply the same terms and conditions to trade with any and all other WTO members. In other words, if a country grants another country\u00a0(even a non-WTO member) a special favor, then every other WTO member must get the same treatment. You probably experienced\u00a0a version of most-favored-nation status as a child, when an adult told you that if you were going to take\u00a0gum or candy to class, you had\u00a0to bring enough for everyone. In other words you couldn\u2019t just give gum or candy to your best friends, and if you didn\u2019t have enough for everyone in the class, then nobody got any. That, in effect, is how most-favored-nation status works.\r\n\r\nOne of the other key elements to the success of the WTO is its transparency requirement. WTO members are required to publish their trade regulations and follow a system that allows external parties to review and evaluate any administrative decisions and their\u00a0impact on\u00a0trade regulations. When a WTO nation changes its trade policies, those changes must be reported to the WTO.\r\n\r\nOverall, the WTO's mission is to improve the stability and predictability of global trade. As a result, it tends to support free-trade, as opposed to protectionist policies, and strongly discourages the use of quotas and other such restrictions on imports.\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/c81dd3e3-75da-4409-99b5-28058f9b46a9\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nWhether or not the WTO is doing its duty and accomplishing its mission is a matter of ongoing debate. Nonetheless, the WTO currently has 164 members and 23 observer governments. WTO member states account for\u00a0almost\u00a097 percent of global trade and 98 percent of global GDP. Once the observer governments become members, it is possible that the WTO will oversee the entire world economy. What began in 1947 in Geneva, with twenty-three nations focused solely on tariff reduction, has grown\u00a0into a truly global\u00a0organization that deals\u00a0with agriculture, labor standards, environmental issues, competition, and intellectual property rights.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Watch It<\/h3>\r\nCheck out this talk for a broader view on trade.\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=3704538&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=-v3uqD1hWGE&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-qee8lave--v3uqD1hWGE\" width=\"800px\" height=\"520px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/WhatGlobalTradeDealsAreReallyAbout_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">view the transcript for \"What global trade is really about (hint: it's not trade) | Hayley Edwards | TEDxMidAtlantic\" (opens in new window).<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Describe the role of the WTO in promoting global trade<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-12439\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3006\/2016\/08\/24202335\/43263603830_fd3651de98_k-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"speakers and participants at the 2018 WTO public forum\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" \/>In the post\u2013World War II environment, countries came to realize that a major component of achieving any degree\u00a0of global peace was global cooperation\u2014politically, economically, and socially. The intent was to level the trade playing field and reduce economic areas of disagreement, since inequality in these areas could lead to more serious conflicts. Nations agreed to work together to promote free trade, and, with the help of key international organizations like the World Trade Organizations, they entered into bilateral and multilateral agreements.<\/p>\n<h2>GATT: How the World Trade Organization Got Its Start<\/h2>\n<p>Before you begin your\u00a0reading on the World Trade Organization (WTO), take a few minutes to watch the following video that will give you some background on\u00a0<strong>General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)<\/strong> and explain how it grew into the WTO we know today. Remember, the world is much smaller today than when your parents and grandparents were growing up, and international trade hasn&#8217;t always been the norm. After watching the video, consider\u00a0how impossible world trade would be without some type of agreement among nations.<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=3704537&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=27J3CByXKow&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-hjasju98-27J3CByXKow\" width=\"800px\" height=\"520px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/Episode37GATTWTO_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">view the transcript for &#8220;Episode 37: GATT\/WTO&#8221; (opens in new window)<\/a>\u00a0or the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/Episode37GATT_WTO_alternative.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">text alternative for &#8220;Episode 37: GATT\/WTO&#8221; (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As you saw in the video, what began with one agreement (GATT) eventually evolved into the WTO. In fact, GATT was the only multilateral instrument governing global trade from 1946 until 1995. Given\u00a0the difficulty of trying to regulate trade among more than one hundred\u00a0nations according to\u00a0a single document, it&#8217;s\u00a0easy to see why\u00a0the WTO came into existence. It became clear to the participating nations that GATT\u00a0was incapable of adapting to an increasingly globalized world economy. Moreover, when the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations was\u00a0launched in September 1986, it marked the largest global effort to structure trade in history. Today, GATT still exists as the WTO\u2019s umbrella treaty for trade in goods, but it&#8217;s no longer the only legally binding global-trade agreement.<\/p>\n<p>What does the WTO actually do? Among its various functions, the most important are the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Oversees\u00a0the implementation and administration of the agreements between nations that fall under the WTO\u2019s scope of authority<\/li>\n<li>Provides\u00a0a forum for negotiations and settling disputes among nations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In recent years, the WTO has also made it a priority to assist developing nations as they come under WTO regulation. Many developing countries and emerging markets lack the experience and technical expertise needed to deal with large and very comprehensive trade agreements. The WTO provides them with critical training and support, thereby ensuring that the WTO is inclusive and equitable toward\u00a0both the wealthiest and the poorest nations in the world.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the nondiscrimination mandate of the WTO is most-favored-nation (MFN) status. Most-favored-nation status requires that a WTO member must apply the same terms and conditions to trade with any and all other WTO members. In other words, if a country grants another country\u00a0(even a non-WTO member) a special favor, then every other WTO member must get the same treatment. You probably experienced\u00a0a version of most-favored-nation status as a child, when an adult told you that if you were going to take\u00a0gum or candy to class, you had\u00a0to bring enough for everyone. In other words you couldn\u2019t just give gum or candy to your best friends, and if you didn\u2019t have enough for everyone in the class, then nobody got any. That, in effect, is how most-favored-nation status works.<\/p>\n<p>One of the other key elements to the success of the WTO is its transparency requirement. WTO members are required to publish their trade regulations and follow a system that allows external parties to review and evaluate any administrative decisions and their\u00a0impact on\u00a0trade regulations. When a WTO nation changes its trade policies, those changes must be reported to the WTO.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the WTO&#8217;s mission is to improve the stability and predictability of global trade. As a result, it tends to support free-trade, as opposed to protectionist policies, and strongly discourages the use of quotas and other such restrictions on imports.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_c81dd3e3-75da-4409-99b5-28058f9b46a9\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/c81dd3e3-75da-4409-99b5-28058f9b46a9?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_c81dd3e3-75da-4409-99b5-28058f9b46a9\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Whether or not the WTO is doing its duty and accomplishing its mission is a matter of ongoing debate. Nonetheless, the WTO currently has 164 members and 23 observer governments. WTO member states account for\u00a0almost\u00a097 percent of global trade and 98 percent of global GDP. Once the observer governments become members, it is possible that the WTO will oversee the entire world economy. What began in 1947 in Geneva, with twenty-three nations focused solely on tariff reduction, has grown\u00a0into a truly global\u00a0organization that deals\u00a0with agriculture, labor standards, environmental issues, competition, and intellectual property rights.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Watch It<\/h3>\n<p>Check out this talk for a broader view on trade.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=3704538&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=-v3uqD1hWGE&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-qee8lave--v3uqD1hWGE\" width=\"800px\" height=\"520px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/WhatGlobalTradeDealsAreReallyAbout_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">view the transcript for &#8220;What global trade is really about (hint: it&#8217;s not trade) | Hayley Edwards | TEDxMidAtlantic&#8221; (opens in new window).<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-6565\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Reading: The World Trade Organization (WTO). <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Williams and Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Practice Question. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Nina Burokas. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Episode 37: GATT\/WTO. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: mjmfoodie. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=27J3CByXKow&#038;feature=youtu.be\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=27J3CByXKow&#038;feature=youtu.be<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>WTO Public Forum 2018: Trade 2030. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: World Trade Organization. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/28V4h8Y\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/28V4h8Y<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t 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