'The WTO has now more than 160 members, and their economic, legal and political systems vary hugely. This brilliant study shows how transparency is helping ensure that WTO rules are implemented and respected by the membership.' Andre Sapir, Universite libre de Bruxelles, former principal economic adviser to the president of the European Commission
'With the global trading system increasingly under threat, it has never been more important for scholars to shine a spotlight on transparency - perhaps the system's most underappreciated contribution. And nowhere is that more salient than in regulatory standards for food, animal and plant trade, as well as the interoperability of products criss-crossing an increasingly technical and connected world. Karttunen explains how the legal system's pipes work, when and why the plumbers are needed, and whether it might be time for the WTO to do some home renovations before the trading system's basement gets flooded.' Chad P. Bown, Reginald Jones Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC
'This is the single, most comprehensive and innovative research on transparency at the WTO. Readers, practitioners, and academics alike, will profit immensely from quality of analysis offered by the author.' Petros C. Mavroidis, Edwin B. Parker Professor of Foreign and Comparative Law, Columbia University
'Marianna Karttunen's valuable book is the first sustained analysis of the specific trade concerns process in the two WTO standards committees, truly the real jewel in the crown of WTO conflict management. Karttunen also demonstrates the purposes of regulatory transparency and cooperation, including how important it is for domestic stakeholders. Running through the book is the awareness that far from a mechanical exercise of interest only to officials, firms too need to be informed about domestic regulation in other countries, and they need opportunities to engage with officials on the trade effects of these regulations. Discussion in the committees on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) is often motivated, Karttunen shows, by concerns raised by stakeholders who have learned about a new regulation from a WTO notification.' Robert Wolfe, Professor Emeritus, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University
'The entire text is informative and will be helpful to concerned scholars and trade policy specialists.' K. Buterbaugh, Choice
