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From Unanimity to Consensus: An Analysis of the Negotiations at the EU's Constitutional Convention
- World Politics
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 58, Number 3, April 2006
- pp. 413-445
- 10.1353/wp.2007.0002
- Article
- Additional Information
Disputes filed at the World Trade Organization (wto) are attracting a growing number of third parties. Most observers argue that their participation influences the institution's rulings. The authors argue that third parties undermine pretrial negotiations; their influence on rulings is conditioned by this selection effect. They test their hypotheses, along with the conventional wisdom, using a data set of wto disputes initiated through 2002. Consistent with the authors' argument, they find that third-party participation lowers the prospects for early settlement. Controlling for this selection effect, the evidence also suggests that third-party support increases the chances of a legal victory at the wto.