How we got here

This paper provides a contextual and historical backdrop for this special edition by exploring cross-sectoral debates about the potential impacts of the GATS negotiations and their place within the broader political economy of North-South relations. It traces the historical background to the negotiations as part of the formation of the World Trade Organization in 1995 and assesses some of the major controversies that have arisen over the likely impacts of GATS upon the interests of Southern countries. It then goes on to consider the specfic issues involved in the regulation of international trade in services and outline how the GATS is supposed to operate, before briefly outlining some of the major controversies that have arisen over the likely impacts of the GATS process upon the interests of Southern countries.