Agriculture and the WTO Towards a New Theory of International Agricultural Trade Regulation

Author: Fiona Smith
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781845424909
Published In: July 2009
Format: Hardback , 192 pages
Jurisdiction: International ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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International agricultural trade regulation remains problematic despite the creation of the WTO and a specific Agreement on Agriculture in 1995. Fiona Smith challenges this orthodoxy and presents a new conceptual method by which the problem of international agricultural trade in the WTO can be understood.

Attempts to revise the rules in the Doha Development Round of multilateral trade talks have repeatedly stalled as negotiators grapple with what is perceived to be the problem of international agricultural trade. Issues such as how best to address the contemporary challenges to market liberalisation whilst preserving the environment, difficulties of biofuels, development, human rights and the demands of the changing nature of global governance are all examined in this timely book.

Challenging convention and introducing new concepts, Agriculture and the WTO will strongly appeal to academics working in the fields of international agricultural trade, international relations, international economic law, agriculture law and policy. It will also be warmly welcomed by policymakers and graduate students with a special interest in international agricultural trade.

Contents:: 1. International Agricultural Trade Regulation: Charting the Landscape International Agricultural Trade as a Composite Problem; 2. Current Perceptions of the Problem; 3. Two Models of Disagreement; 4. Polycentrism and the Issue of Market Access; 5. Cultural Divergence, Polycentricity and Subsidies; 6. Towards the Future

Fiona Smith, Lecturer in Laws, University College London, UK

‘This is an insightful book of ideas offering an alternative conceptualisation of the problems of international agricultural trade, which are seen as polycentric and so must be managed rather than resolved. It demonstrates that where there is convergence without genuine agreement on the meaning no specific resolution can be achieved. The author is to be commended for offering a valuable springboard for further reflection on the management of the problems of international agricultural trade.’
– Joseph McMahon, University College Dublin, Ireland