Urgent and Important: Improving WTO Performance by Revisiting Working Practices

The rules of the game embodied in the World Trade Organization (WTO) date back to the 1980s. They have not kept up with a rapidly changing world economy in which countries increasingly use trade-distorting measures designed to advantage national industries. This article reflects on why cooperation in the WTO unravelled to the extent that it did in 2017-18 and argues that improving the performance of the organization in fulfilling its mandate requires re-visiting and updating WTO working practices.