Global trade governance: between antagonism and complementarity

Jan Wouters

Chapter 7 in Institutions of Global Governance, 2025, pp 126-141 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The global governance of trade is characterised by a very diverse number of actors at different levels, from states and international organisations, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and regional organisations like the European Union, to informal bodies, such as the G7, G20 and BRICS, and a variety of private actors. The present chapter considers each of these actors in order to better understand their respective contributions, strengths and weaknesses, and their mutual interactions. We start with the global level, to focus in a second place on (cross-) regional actors and dynamics, and in a third place on private actors. A silver thread throughout the chapter is the finding that the two most prominent challenges for global trade governance are: (i) revitalising the global multilateral system by strengthening the WTO, and (ii) making sure that all actors strive for complementarity rather than antagonism.

Keywords: Global governance; International trade; World Trade Organization; OECD; United Nations; Private standards (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035302574
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