Robert Wolfe - Queen's University
Alice Tipping - IISD
Mercedes Araoz Fernandez - Universidad del Pacifico
Why is “WTO reform” still a work in progress? There is no end of helpful suggestions by academics, but what do officials think is needed for reforms in WTO working practices and substantive policy priorities? We decided to ask them. We will present data from an original survey of trade policy practitioners in Geneva and capitals. The presentation will address two questions. First, are Geneva delegates aligned with their capitals on WTO priorities? Second, is there a difference in responses from official respondents representing OECD countries and those representing non-OECD countries? Discussion will consider possible explanations for the survey results, including the possibility that sustainable development governance is impeded when officials in Geneva and capitals are not on the same page, which is often the case in the survey data.