Economist Bob Staiger (Dartmouth College) joins to revisit the formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its GATT predecessor, in order to examine whether the WTO can meet today’s policy challenges. Part 1 (03:08) explores the economic problems the WTO was designed to solve, which were not free trade. Part 2 (14:34) explains how the GATT/WTO puts the principle of reciprocity to work to solve those problems. Part 3 (23:58) assesses its historical performance and the evidence across a variety of settings. Part 4 (42:34) explores how the WTO might adapt to the challenge posed by China’s non-market economy. Part 5 (53:23) considers ways the WTO can support international climate policies designed to reduce global carbon emissions. A final section (1:07:25) concludes (Total: 1:10:41).

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• Robert W. Staiger. 2022. A World Trading System for the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.