Opinions expressed in the case studies and any errors or omissions
therein are the responsibility of their authors and not of the
editors of this volume or of the institutions with which they are
affiliated. The authors of the case studies wish to disassociate the
institutions with which they are associated from opinions expressed
in the case studies and from any errors or omission therein.
This compilation of forty-five case studies documents disparate
experiences among economies in addressing the challenges of participating
in the WTO. It demonstrates that success or failure is strongly influenced
by how governments and private-sector stakeholders organize themselves at
home. The contributors, mainly from developing countries, give examples of
participation with lessons for others. They show that when the system is
accessed and employed effectively, it can serve the interests of poor and
rich countries alike. However, a failure to communicate among interested
parties at home often contributes to negative outcomes on the
international front. Above all, these case studies demonstrate that the
WTO creates a framework within which sovereign decision-making can unleash
important opportunities or undermine the potential benefits flowing from a
rules-based international environment that promotes open trade.
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