| A significant number of countries - many of which are least-developed countries (LDCs) - are not members of the multilateral trading system (MTS) as yet, and for many the accession process has taken an undesirably long period of time to complete. This lack of participation has important implications for national and global policy making in the field of international trade. However, there is a growing tendency to disregard accession challenges and difficulties facing the weakest members of the international community - the LDCs. The main purposes of this article are to a) discuss the substantive, normative and institutional complexities and requirements surrounding the WTO accession process from the perspective of LDCs, b) assess the possible costs and... |
