The Genesis of the GATT

This book is part of a wider project that aims to propose a model GATT that makes good economic sense without undoing its current basic structure. It asks: What does the historical record indicate about the aims and objectives of the framers of the GATT? To what extent does the historical record provide support for one or more of the economic rationales for the GATT? The book supports that the two main framers of the GATT were the United Kingdom and the United States; developing countries' influence was noticeable only after the mid-1950s. The framers understood the GATT as a pro-peace instrument; however, they were mindful of the costs of achieving such a far-reaching objective and were not willing to allocate them disproportionately. This may explain why their negotiations were based on reciprocal market access commitments so that the terms of trade were not unevenly distributed or affected through the GATT.
Examines the motivations and contributions of the two main framers of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and the smaller role of other countries.
Douglas A. Irwin is Robert E. Maxwell Professor of Arts and Sciences in the Economics Department at Dartmouth College. He is author of Free Trade under Fire (2002) and Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade (1996).
Petros C. Mavroidis is Edwin Parker Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, New York, and Professor of Law at the University of Neuchâtel. He is chief reporter of the American Law Institute for the project 'Principle of International Trade: The WTO' and Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
Alan O. Sykes is James and Patricia Kowal Professor of Law at Stanford Law School. A leading expert on the application of economics to legal problems, Sykes has focused his research on international economic relations.
"...Irwin (Darthmouth College, Free Trade Under Fire, CH, Mar'03, 40-4109), Mavroidis (Columbia Law School), and Sykes (Stanford Law School) provide an informative historical account of the creation and evolution of the GATT, which is a cornerstone of of the economic architecture after WW II was intended to establish a rules-based system in the trade sector to parallel the rules-based IMF structure in monetary system...excellent bibliography...Highly Recommended..."
--I. Walter, New York University, CHOICE