WTO and ILO - trade and labour Flashcards
what was the bretton woods conferences’ aim?
to create economic and financial institutions to mitigate/prevent an economic crisis like the great depression
was an organization created in the bretton woods conference?
no, countries couldn’t agree on the establishment of the international trade organization
disagreements in the bretton woods conference (3)
- US wanted extended trade liberalization
- EU wanted preferential deals with former colonies.
- developing countries pushed for the protection of commodities
what did the bretton woods conference result in?
the general agreement on tariffs and trade
difference between early-late gatt negotiation rounds?
earlier rounds focused on tariffs, the other’s included intellectual property rights, agriculture, textile
which gatt round created wto?
uruguay - 1980s and WTO created in 1995
doha round
failure to reach an agreement to continue negotiations- increasing bilateral agreements and regresssion in trade governance
is the WTO intergovernmental?
yes, it is purely intergovernmental- all decisions are taken in the member states bodies, there’s no supranational authority
decision-making is by consensus
ministerial conference - wto
highest decision-making organ - annual meeting of trade ministers
general council - wto
trade officials, who meet in different settings to discuss trade in goods, services, agriculture, intellectual property
important aspects of wto (2)
- transperancy- fixed and public lists of import tariffs for all products
- court-like dispute settlement procedures for complaints
objectives of wto
- regulating international trade with the intention to decrease tariffs
- avoid protectionism as causes of the global crises in 1920s
underlying assumption of WTO
market-driven trade maximizes growth/prosperity
politically motivated trades enrich one sector/country at the expense of others
bound tariffs
each member is required to agree to a ceiling for the import tariff it charges on each imported good (trump violated this)
most favoured nation principle
article1 gatt: the best agreement made with another country serves as the standard for agreements with other countries (simplifies the global trade system, leads to lower import tarrifs)
national treatment
prohibits any discrimination between a countries own product, and what it imports
exemptions from national treatment
- general: necessary measures to protect human, animal, plant life
- security: protect essential national security interests
- regional trade agreements - allowed because they lower tarrifs
- balance of payments: measures to safeguard external financial situation
dispute settlement (6)
- first attempt of bilateral resolution
- complaint to wto
- wto appoints a panel of 3 experts who write a report
- the complaining and accused country go to appeal to the Appellate body
- second appeal: DSB approves or rejects the report- the decision is legally binding
- in case of non-compliance, economic sanctions are allowed
is DSM dead?
since 2017 US blocks WTO judges appointments - body has been suspended since 2019
some countries tried to continue with other means- declaration of the EU, China, Canada …. temporary alternative mechanism
seatle protests of 1999
wto contributes to growing inequality and excludes goods of poorest countries- contributed to the decline of wealth in the global south
what were the effects of the seatle protests?
it disabled the doha round
what are main criticisms of the wto? (4)
- fails to adress agricultural subsidies
- rules ignore environmental and labour-related issues
- lack of transparancy in green room negotiations
- hinders access to affordable medicine
ILO origins
1919 in the context of the league of nations- specialized agency of the UN since 1946
organization of ilo (3)
international labour conference: plenary organ, meets annually to discuss new labour conditions
international labour office: bureaucratic support
governing body: executive organ, checks compliance (10 most important countries, but is flexible)
policies of ilo
conventions are legally binding if ratified, reccomendations are not
agreement on labour standards in the conventions/ reccomendations with 2/3 majority
compliance (3)
- tripartism: government, employer, group representatives are all present
- voluntarism: member states need to ratify, so they intend to comply
- peer pressure: if one convention is adopted by a wide range of members, there will be pressure
complaint structure- ilo
submitted by member states/worker/employer/group/ilo governing body
investigated by commissions of inquiry => report
ultimate action: sanctions of expulsion
what is the kafala system?
employment worked through sponsporship-tied the worker to the company
recruitment issues
companies withold the workers passport, they require workers to pay recruitment fees to agencies
employment issues
prevents workers from engaging in collective bargaining, inadequate housing, they can’t file complaints
termination and respiration issues
non-payments of wages
who launched a complaint against qatar’s kafala system?
complaint launched by international transport workers federation (ITF)
+
international trade union conferedation (ITUC)
ilo decision on qatar
one year to reform kafala system- then in 2017 it was dropped after the reforms have been introduced (accommodation, bank payment)
