Trade and Competition Policy in the Developing World

This chapter examines the possible expansion of the jurisdiction of the WTO to include competition issues. First, it focuses on the developing nations, asking whether, and to what extent, such an expansion would further the welfare of the developing nations or would further the combination of domestic interests that are ascendant in their governments and governing institutions. Second, following from the first point, it distinguishes between welfare and institutionalized national interests, recognizing that it is the latter that effectively determine a nation's objectives. Third, it identifies differences between the developing nations and their developed counterparts that may be likely to affect their approaches toward an international competition regime. Fourth, it identifies differences in established competition policies among the developed nations, and explores how these differences may affect the position of the developed nations toward the establishment of an international competition regime.