Opening the WTO to Nongovernmental Interests

This Essay examines the debate over how the WTO and the public interact. Since the mass public is cacophonous, the debate centers on what role NGOs should play in the WTO. NGOs are voluntary organizations of individuals who come together to achieve common purposes. As used here, NGOs include business and labor groups.

This Essay contains five parts. Part I provides background for readers just joining the debate. Part II gives an overview of the major developments over the past three years (1998-2000). Parts III and IV offer a synthesis of the key issues.

Part III presents the Statist perspective for why the WTO should deny deeper participation to NGOs. Part IV counters with the Individualist perspective for why the WTO should broaden its participation beyond governments to include NGOs. (Part IV reflects the author's own views.) Part V provides specific recommendations for how the WTO should increase opportunities for NGOs.