A 'Critical Mass' Approach to Negotiations in the WTO: A Case Study Analysis
The thesis examines the viability of the ‘critical mass’ approach to negotiations as a proper substitute for conventional negotiating formats in present and future World Trade Organization (WTO) trade negotiations. The thesis provides an overview of the traditional negotiating formats in the WTO and its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1947 (GATT 1947). A case study approach is adopted in the thesis to explain the concept of the critical mass-based negotiating modality in the WTO context. The primary case studies are the existing WTO Information Technology Agreement, the WTO Basic Telecommunication Agreement, the WTO Financial Services Agreement, and the projected WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. The thesis concludes that due to various requirements implicit in its model, the ‘critical mass’ technique may not be a suitable substitute negotiating format for every present and future WTO trade negotiation.
World Trade Organization, Critical Mass Agreement, Information Technology Agreement, Basic Telecommunication Agreement, Reference Paper, Financial Services Agreement, Joint Statement Initiatives, Fisheries Subsidies
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