Greening the World Trade Organization trading regime? : towards a structural power model

Beukel, Erik (author)

The purpose of this article is to describe and elaborate the interplay between: (1) the governance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime, (2) green regime changes with a special consideration of the multilateral/unilateral character of the changes, and (3) the consequences for structural power in the global political economy. First, the review of the WTO trading regime is presented, emphasising especially regime components that bear on the trade/environment nexus. Then the consideration of country positions on the use of trade-restrictive environmental measures (TREMs) and the dynamics behind more unilateral positions is elaborated. Lastly, the author develops a structural power model of dynamics in the WTO regime to use as a starting point for evaluating economic-political changes when (or if) unilateral TREMs become a more prominent part of the global trade regime. The main question then becomes how high-income countries will use their dominant position in the global political economy, a position that will get even more dominant if unilateral TREMs are given a central role in the WTO regime.

• Language: English
• Keywords: developing countries, political economy, developed countries, structural power, World Trade Organization
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Year: 2001
• Number of pages: Str. 138-156, 187, 190
• Numbering: Vol. 4, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135766
• UDC: 339.5:327
• ISSN on article: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 20632925
• Publication date in RUL: 30.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of international relations and development
• Shortened title: J. int. relat. & dev.
• Publisher: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre of International Relations
• ISSN: 1408-6980
• COBISS.SI-ID: 76065792

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Ozeleneti trgovinski režim Svetovne trgovinske organizacije?

Abstract

Cilj pričujočega članka je opisati in razdelati medsebojno povezavo med: (1) upravljanjem režima Svetovne trgovinske organizacije (STO), (2) spremembami okoljskega režima s posebnim poudarkom na večstranskem/enostranskem značaju teh sprememb in (3) posledicami za strukturno moč v globalni politični ekonomiji. Avtor najprej predstavi trgovinski režim STO in posebej izpostavi tiste sestavne elemente režima, ki so pomembni za povezavo trgovanja in okolja. Potem avtor podrobneje proučuje problematiko stališča držav glede uporabe okoljskih ukrepov, ki zavirajo trgovanje (trade-restrictive environmental measures - TREM), in dinamiko, ki je posledica enostranskih stališč. Končno razvije model strukturne moči, ki pojasnjuje dinamiko režima STO, in ga uporabi kot izhodišče ocene gospodarskopolitičnih sprememb v okoliščinah, ko bodo (če bodo) TREM postali pomembnejši del globalnega trgovinskega režima. Ključno vprašanje, ki se ob tem pojavlja, je, kako bodo bogate države uporabile svoj prevladujoč položaj v globalni politični ekonomiji; položaj, ki bo postal še bolj dominanten, če bodo TREM igrali osrednjo vlogo v režimu STO.

• Keywords: države v razvoju, politična ekonomija, razvite države, strukturna moč, Svetovna trgovinska organizacija