Goals in Context

Under the goal-based approach advanced in the book, a methodical and comprehensive investigation into the effectiveness of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement System (DSS) ought to start from a fundamental question: what are the goals (i.e. the desired outcomes) this system is to generate? With a view to establishing the relevant context for identifying and analysing these goals, the chapter provides a brief overview of the origins and evolution of the WTO DSS. It also describes the system’s current design and procedures. The chapter closes with some reflections on the hybrid legal/diplomatic, bilateral/multilateral character of the WTO DSS, reflected in the system’s structure and procedures as well as in its goals. This dual character, as illustrated later in the book, nurtures many of the shifts, conflicts, and subsequent trade-offs exhibited between the system’s goals throughout its operations.