englischThe study investigates the efficiency of trade liberalization in the GATT/WTO framework and analyzes the relationship between GATT/WTO and related international institutions such as the Generalized System of Preferences and regional trade agreements. While the analyses are also based on theoretical models, the workhorse of the study is the well-known gravity model framework in conjunction with vector auto-regressive analysis. Generally, the various analyses highlight the role of GATT/WTO as an important player in global trade: GATT/WTO has a substantial promoting effect on international trade; trade promotion of developing countries should best be served by GATT/WTO rather than by preferential schemes under the Generalized System of Preferences; GATT/WTO is not undermined by the proliferation of regional trade agreements – rather regional trade agreements stimulate multilateral trade liberalization under GATT/WTO.
Die Studie untersucht die Effizienz der Handelsliberalisierung im Rahmen des GATT/WTO Regelwerks und analysiert die Beziehung zwischen GATT/WTO und weiteren internationalen Institutionen wie dem Generalized System of Preferences sowie regionalen Handelsabkommen. Die Analysen betonen die Rolle von GATT/WTO als einen wichtigen Akteur für globalen Handel.
