The U.S. and WTO Disputes

Robert Lawrence of the Kennedy School has a report out with CFR entitled "The United States and the WTO Dispute Settlement System."  From the press release, here are some of his main recommendations.  For the system:

Lawrence proposes a series of realistic fixes to bring about a more effective system:

• Allow greater participation by multinational corporations and nongovernmental organizations that have a stake in the proceedings;
• Open hearings before the dispute settlement panels to the public;
• Allow countries to appeal decisions in which the panel has authorized the plaintiff to retaliate;
• Increase the resources of the dispute settlement mechanism so as to accelerate decision-making.

For the U.S.:

Recommendations for the U.S. government include:

• Encourage the U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Commerce to be proactive in using dispute-settlement procedures to open significant export markets;
• Improve the United States’ record of compliance with WTO rulings;
• Establish a panel to examine incidences of U.S. violations of WTO rules and recommend steps to avoid recurrence.

The full report is available here.