The WTO Agreement on Agriculture subjects different groups of developed and developing countries to different limits on domestic support and allows various exemptions from these limits. Offering a comprehensive assessment of the Agreement's rules and implementation, this book develops guidance toward socially desirable support policies. Although dispute settlement has clarified interpretation of the Agriculture and SCM Agreements, gaps remain between the legal disciplines and the economic effects of support. Considering the Agriculture Agreement also in the context of today's priorities of sustainability and climate change mitigation, Lars Brink and David Orden build a strategy that aligns the rules and members' commitments with the economic impacts of agricultural support measures. While providing in-depth analysis of the existing rules, their shortcomings and the limited scope of ongoing negotiations, the authors take a long-term view, where policies directed toward evolving priorities in agriculture are compatible with strengthened rules that reduce trade and production distortions.

'Recommended.'

C. W. Herrick Source: Choice

‘… essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the nature and scope of WTO disciplines on agricultural support.’

David Blandford Source: Journal of Agricultural Economics

‘This book is a great contribution to the study and analysis of domestic support disciplines under the Agriculture Agreement. Although few subjects in international trade are as complex, significant, and politically sensitive as domestic support, it is rare to find a book that examines in detail this subject. The value of this book is enhanced by the timing of its release, as it coincides with crucial WTO negotiations.’

Alejandro Sánchez Source: World Trade Review

‘… a well-timed explanation of the Agreement on Agriculture and review of its effects on domestic policies favoring agricultural producers … it provides a better understanding of the functioning of the WTO in reality-an understating that is sorely lacking in the current discourse.’

A. Ford Ramsey Source: Regulation