I propose a framework within which to interpret and evaluate the major reforms introduced to the GATT system in its transition to the WTO. In particular, I examine the WTO Agreement on Safeguards that has replaced the GATT escape clause (Article XIX), and the Dispute Settlement Process (DSP)...

I propose a framework within which to interpret and evaluate the major reforms introduced to the GATT system in its transition to the WTO. In particular, I examine the WTO Agreement on Safeguards that has replaced the GATT escape clause (Article XIX), and the Dispute Settlement Process (DSP)...

We characterize the optimal tariff bindings and the escape clause in a trade agreement among asymmetric countries that are subject to idiosyncratic political-economy shocks. We assume that shocks are private information, and that escape clauses allow the use of a costly monitoring technology to...

After not applying countervailing duty (CVD) law against non-market economies (NMEs) for two decades, the United State opened a CVD investigation against China in 2006. After extensive litigation, a U.S. appeals court ruled that it was illegal to apply CVD law to NMEs. While that ruling was...

Do negotiated tariffs under the WTO deviate significantly from the first-best agreement? If so, why? To answer these questions, we consider two potential causes of deviation from the first-best in WTO negotiations: (i) a free-riding problem that may be caused by the WTO's nondiscrimination...

I propose a framework within which to interpret and evaluate the major reforms introduced to the GATT system in its transition to the WTO. In particular, I examine the WTO Agreement on Safeguards that has replaced the GATT escape clause (Article XIX), and the Dispute Settlement Process (DSP)...

The literature on pretrial dispute settlement has studied the effect of first-order uncertainty on pre-trial settlement bargaining while assuming away any uncertainty about higher-order beliefs. We propose a settlement bargaining model in which one player receives a private and noisy signal of...