Overview and Concept

This lecture and discussion launches “Toward a New Deal for Global Trade: A Progressive Agenda”, the new paper by Joseph E. Stiglitz and Martín Guzmán, which argues that neoliberal trade delivered neither the inclusive growth nor the growth it promised, in rich and poor countries alike. Martín Guzmán presents the paper’s argument and its proposals on governance, intellectual property, digitalization, and coalition-building among the Global South and progressive actors in advanced economies. There will be a dialogue with a high-ranking interlocutor from the WTO and a moderated question and answer session.

Guiding Questions

• What does a trade regime designed for endogenous learning and structural transformation look like, and how does it differ fundamentally from the neoliberal framework?
• How can developing countries reclaim policy space for industrial strategy, technology acquisition, and competitive real exchange rate management within a reformed multilateral system?
• What intellectual property reforms would enable knowledge diffusion from advanced to developing economies rather than perpetuating technological gaps?
• How should the WTO governance structure change to reflect the interests and priorities of the developing majority rather than corporate interests in advanced economies?
• What coalition-building strategies among developing countries and progressive actors in advanced economies are necessary to advance a new trade agenda?