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Unexpected Bedfellows: The GATT, the WTO, and Some Democratic Rights

Author

Listed:
  • Susan Ariel Aaronson

    (Institute for International Economic Policy, George Washington University)

  • M. Rodwan Abouharb

    (Department of Political Science, Lousisiana State University)

Abstract

The WTO system has democratic rights spillovers. In this paper, we show how GATT and WTO rules induce memberstates to advance several democratic rights: specifically political participation, due process and access toinformation. We use qualitative and quantitative tools to examine this process. Our quantitative analysis found thatcountries that have been members of the GATT/WTO for longer periods of time saw statistically significantimprovements in our metrics for political participation and due process rights. However, we did not have similarlyrobust findings for access to information. We think this may reflect the limited amount of quantitative data availablefor this period. We note that the WTO is to some degree a bill of rights for foreign market actors. Ironically, inrepressive states, its rules may empower domestic market actors who may not have been able to use existingdomestic remedies to obtain information, influence policies or challenge leadership. We urge other scholars to testour findings about how the WTO and democratic rights became unexpected bedfellows.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Ariel Aaronson & M. Rodwan Abouharb, 2010. "Unexpected Bedfellows: The GATT, the WTO, and Some Democratic Rights," Working Papers 2010-12, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:gwi:wpaper:2010-12
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    Cited by:

    1. Susan Ariel Aaronson & M. Rodwan Abouharb, 2011. "Does the WTO Help Member States Clean Up?," Working Papers 2011-13, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    2. International Organisation, 2017. "Handbook on Assessment of Labour Provisons in Trade and Investment Arrangements," Working Papers id:11929, eSocialSciences.
    3. Aaronson Susan Ariel & Abouharb M. Rodwan & Daniel Wang K., 2015. "The Liberal Illusion Is Not a Complete Delusion: The WTO Helps Member States Keep the Peace Only When It Increases Trade," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 15(4), pages 455-484, December.
    4. Stephen C. Nelson & Geoffrey P. R. Wallace, 2017. "Are IMF lending programs good or bad for democracy?," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 523-558, December.
    5. Susan Ariel Aaronson, 2017. "Governance Spillovers of Labour Provisions in Free Trade Agreements," Working Papers 2017-2, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    trade; WTO; GATT; democracy; democratic rights; accessions; freedom of information;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights
    • F59 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - Other

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