Evaluating WTO dispute settlement: What results have been achieved through consultations and implementation of panel reports?

This chapter examines the operation and accomplishments of two understudied aspects of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system – the consultation process and the implementation results. After a brief summary of the operation of the WTO dispute settlement system – focusing on consultations and the implementation process – it examines in detail the results of consultations and the record on implementation. As part of that examination, it looks at proposals on consultations and implementation that have been made over the years in the ongoing dispute settlement reform negotiations.