Votes, Vetoes, and the Political Economy of International Trade Agreements

摘要

The rise in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) between countries (in the form of GATT's sanctioned free trade agreements, customs unions, and other preferential arrangements) stands as the dominant trend in the evolution of the international trade system in the recent two decades. Hundreds of preferential agreements have been negotiated during this period and with nearly every member country of the World Trade Organization (WTO) belonging to at least one PTA.