In the latest issue of BRIDGES, Joel Trachtman makes a provocative suggestion in the context of the Doha Round, namely a "simple blanket exception stating that developing countries shall not be required to fulfil any commitment that is detrimental to their development or poverty alleviation". This blanket exception would be "conditional on a report by a team of professional development economists, appointed by the WTO" confirming the necessity of such an exception in particular instances.
"The sad truth is that neither the developing countries themselves, nor the WTO, nor the World Bank or the IMF, necessarily knows at this moment what specific measures will promote poverty alleviation in particular countries. How can a Doha Development Agenda proceed without this knowledge?...Literally at the stroke of a pen, it would be possible to ensure that developing countries are not obliged to fulfil commitments that do not promote their development. To do so, states should include in the Doha Round agreements a simple blanket exception stating that developing countries shall not be required to fulfil any commitment that is detrimental to their development or poverty alleviation. The key to ensuring that developing country commitments continue to be meaningful and valuable to developed countries – and to ensuring that developing country governments do not fall prey to their own protectionist special interests – is to make this exception conditional on a report by a team of professional development economists, appointed by the WTO."
There are certainly a lot of things to say about this proposition. My first impression is that there is a kind of contradiction in the argument. If (with all their staff of professional economists) neither the WTO, nor the World Bank or the IMF, necessarily knows at this moment what specific measures will promote poverty alleviation and development in particular countries, why would a team of economists appointed by the WTO have a better answer? Do you imagine Baghwati and Rodrik together on this team? Would they agree about anything?
Finally, last but not the least, would this blanket exception apply to a country like China which considers itself as a developing country? It is useful to remember here that the "developing country" label in the WTO is the result of a self selecting process. If you say that you are a developing coutry, you are considered as one! Would you imagine that other countries would accept a blank exception for China?
