The establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995 meant both a continuation and a re-orientation of the post-war world trade order. While the basic principles governing world trade, as well as laws relating to trade in goods (GATT), were maintained, the existing system was expanded with the inclusion of trade in services (GATS) and laws on the protection of intellectual property rights (TRIPS). The WTO in Geneva acts as the institutional umbrella for these and other agreements. The aim of this book is to outline the origins, purpose and scope of the individual agreements, as well as to examine how they function institutionally. Additionally, this book explores the developments that the relevant laws and practices have undergone over the years. In recent times, the WTO has become the subject of wide-ranging criticisms, the causes and effects of which are also studied. This book serves as a tool in accessing the current world trading system for students, practitioners and laypersons alike.

Richard Senti is a Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich with numerous publications in the areas of GATT and WTO law. Professor Senti has been Chairman of the Centre for Economic Research in Zurich. He is also a Member of the WTO Dispute Settlement Panel in Geneva, the International Trade Law Association, the Study Group for International Trade Relations and the Board of the Working Group for European Integration.

Hans Mahncke, LLB (Hons), LLM, is an Assistant Professor at the School of Law at City University of Hong Kong. His research interests include international economic and WTO law, as well as common law history and method.

 

Hans Mahncke

LLB (Hons), LLM; Assistant Professor, City University of Hong Kong

Richard Senti

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology