WTI 10th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture Series: Locating the WTO in International Trade Governance

Possibly to a greater degree than at any time since the establishment of the multilateral trading system in the late 1940s, questions are being asked about the place of the GATT/WTO in international economic governance. A series of challenges have emerged for the WTO in terms of its traditional role as an agent of market opening, a keeper of trade rules, and an arbiter of disputes among nations. The emergence of alternative venues for fulfilling these roles, shifts in political influence, and the changing nature of trade cooperation all contribute to the case for rethinking the WTO's contribution to international trade cooperation. 

Speaker

Patrick Low is Chief Economist at the World Trade Organization and an Adjunct Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute, Geneva. He worked for GATT from 1980–1988 and joined the WTO in 1995, taking up his present position in 1997. For a short interlude from 1999–2001, he served as WTO Director-General Mike Moore's Chief of Staff.  He taught from 1988–1990 at El Colegio de México, and served in the research complex of the World Bank from 1990–2004. He holds a PhD in economics from Sussex University and has written widely on trade policy issues.