An Appraisal of Developing Country Coalition Strategy in the WTO Doha Round Agriculture Negotiations

Abstract

Recently, it has become apparent to developing countries in the WTO that their limited bargaining power has, in fact, been a stumbling block to obtaining desired negotiation outcomes in the multilateral trade system. Thus, to execute any fundamental changes to the status quo, there was a need to cluster together, pool resources and form alliances to leverage their collective strength in the negotiations. The crucial role that agriculture trade rules negotiation played in the Uruguay Round is well documented in the literature. Likewise, agriculture has again assumed center stage in the ongoing Doha Round negotiations. For this reason, the agriculture debate presents a model of the larger WTO negotiation process. Based on the findings of an empirical study on the Doha Round agriculture negotiations I highlight some of the lessons learned from developing country coalition strategy so far in this Round. The paper seeks to proffer possible recommendations about the direction in which developing country coalitions should evolve as well as discuss the possible implications of this coalition strategy for the future of the multilateral trading system. Developing country policy-makers and negotiators could benefit from the analysis as they continue to engage in multilateral trade negotiations as repeat players in this Round as well as in the future. The information derived could serve as a platform for further research in this area and may help explain the raison d'etre behind the negotiated outcomes.