World trade is increasingly ruled by preferential trade agreements (PTAs), but their precise nature remains relatively … Trade Center and the World Bank. The data set covers 5,203 products, 199 reporters, and 239 partners, representing … approximately 97 percent of world imports in 2016. There are three main findings. First, PTAs have significantly widened the scope …

"There is a fundamental shift taking place in the world economy to which the multilateral trading system has failed to … interests largely in the rich countries, is running out of steam; (ii) the world economy is moving broadly from conditions of … commonality of interests and scope for give-and-take on these new issues make multilateral cooperation worth attempting. "--World …