TY - JOUR
T1 - Building capacity for World Trade Organization dispute settlement
T2 - piloting polarity mapping for trade relations
AU - Vesterinen, Heidi
AU - Perez, A. M.
AU - Myhre Errecaborde, Kaylee M
PY - 2020/4/1
Y1 - 2020/4/1
N2 - Trade disputes have been on the rise in recent decades. Resolving these disputes can be challenging, even when relying on the World Trade Organization (WTO) formal dispute settlement system. Polarity mapping, a visual framework for understanding the challenges of organisational collaboration, could help to provide structure to these negotiations. This paper describes how polarity mapping was adapted to support or mitigate trade disputes related to the trade of animals or animal products. A three-step process allowed stakeholders to: identify the conditions affecting a trade relationship, use polarity mapping to identify priorities and challenges for continued trade relationships, and outline an action plan to support these relationships in the event of a disease outbreak. The tool was then tested, using an exploratory case study methodology. Polarity mapping was found to be both useful and practical for investigating how to improve trade relationships. The case-study participants were able to identify strategies, choices and decisions that moved them towards a more sustainable trade relationship. Further testing and iterative development of the tool in a current, real-life trade dispute would be beneficial. The hope is that, in the future, a simple tool such as polarity mapping could be used either to plan pre-emptively for trade challenges and thereby prevent disputes, or to provide a method for consultation within the formal WTO dispute settlement process.
AB - Trade disputes have been on the rise in recent decades. Resolving these disputes can be challenging, even when relying on the World Trade Organization (WTO) formal dispute settlement system. Polarity mapping, a visual framework for understanding the challenges of organisational collaboration, could help to provide structure to these negotiations. This paper describes how polarity mapping was adapted to support or mitigate trade disputes related to the trade of animals or animal products. A three-step process allowed stakeholders to: identify the conditions affecting a trade relationship, use polarity mapping to identify priorities and challenges for continued trade relationships, and outline an action plan to support these relationships in the event of a disease outbreak. The tool was then tested, using an exploratory case study methodology. Polarity mapping was found to be both useful and practical for investigating how to improve trade relationships. The case-study participants were able to identify strategies, choices and decisions that moved them towards a more sustainable trade relationship. Further testing and iterative development of the tool in a current, real-life trade dispute would be beneficial. The hope is that, in the future, a simple tool such as polarity mapping could be used either to plan pre-emptively for trade challenges and thereby prevent disputes, or to provide a method for consultation within the formal WTO dispute settlement process.
KW - Dispute settlement
KW - Facilitation
KW - Negotiation
KW - Polarity mapping
KW - Tools
KW - Trade barriers
KW - World Trade Organization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088851776&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088851776&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.20506/rst.39.1.3069
DO - 10.20506/rst.39.1.3069
M3 - Article
C2 - 32729571
AN - SCOPUS:85088851776
SN - 0253-1933
VL - 39
SP - 155
EP - 171
JO - Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)
JF - Revue scientifique et technique (International Office of Epizootics)
IS - 1
ER -