NCCR - Different Facets of Power in Decision-Making in the WTO

Different Facets of Power in Decision-Making in the WTO, NCCR Trade Regulation Working Paper 2006/23, September 2006 (Paper presented at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Amercian Political Science Association, August 30th-September 3)

The paper attempts to locate the role of power in decisionmaking in the WTO. Different facets of power
dominant in the interntional relations literature are described and a taxonomy is offered. In addition, the
interactions between power instruments and causal links are explored. Empirically, the paper focuses on the
current Doha Round, dicsusses the implications of particular bargaining settings (e.g. coalition building) and tests
the influence of the concept of “development” using a focal point perspective.
The paper attempts to locate the role of power in decisionmaking in the WTO. Different facets of power dominant in the interntional relations literature are described and a taxonomy is offered. In addition, the
interactions between power instruments and causal links are explored. Empirically, the paper focuses on
the current Doha Round, dicsusses the implications of particular bargaining settings (e.g. coalition building)
and tests the influence of the concept of “development” using a focal point perspective.