Trade negotiations in the OECD : structures, institutions, and states / David J. Blair.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-298) and index.

International Trade Relations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Analytical Framework Overall Capabilities Issue Area Structure (International Trade Structure) Issue Structure Influence of Institutions Unit-level Variables Changes in Interest Definition Export Credits Trends in Officially Supported Export Credit Background to OECD Export Credit Negotiations Agreements in the Export Credits Field Impact of OECD Agreements Bargaining Positions and Outcomes Explaining OECD Agreements and their Impact Agricultural Trade The International Agricultural Market Background to OECD Agricultural Trade Negotiations Agreements on Agricultural Trade Issues Impact of OECD Agreements Bargaining Positions and Outcomes Explaining OECD Agreements and their Impact Steel Trade The International Steel Market Background to OECD Steel Trade Negotiations Agreements on Steel Trade Issues Impact of OECD Agreements Bargaining Positions and Outcomes Explaining OECD Agreements and their Impact Trade in Ships The International Shipbuilding Market Background to OECD Shipbuilding Negotiations Agreements on Shipbuilding Issues Impact of OECD Agreements Bargaining Positions and Outcomes Explaining OECD Agreements and their Impact Conclusion Explaining the Outcome of OECD Trade Negotiations Explaining the Impact of OECD Agreements Evaluating the Independent Variables Capabilities and Leadership in International Negotiations Domestic Politics and International Trade Negotiations From Theory to Case Studies and Back Again The Future of the OECD in the International Trading System

Who prevails in international negotiations? What impact do negotiated agreements have on the policies and actions of participating countries? How well do contemporary international relations theories answer these questions? Using the case of trade negotiations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the author assesses the explanatory power of a number of models derived from the neo-realist approach, as well as from the theoretical literature on international regimes, international organisation, and interdependence. He also considers several factors operating within states which are generally excluded from most current international theories, and discusses the relative importance of system-level and state-level forces in determining the outcome and impact of multilateral trade negotiations. In addition to offering an evaluation of various international theoretical approaches, this study sheds new light on an important but poorly understood international organisation. It presents an in-depth historical account of negotiations conducted during the 1970s and 1980s in four areas: export credits, agricultural trade, steel trade, and trade in ships. The book examines how the agenda of the OECD is set, the nature of bargaining activity within the Organisation, and the role played by the OECD in the overall international trade regime.