The World Trade Organization (WTO) oversees the negotiation and enforcement of formal rules governing international trade. This title investigates the domestic politics behind the filing of WTO complaints, and reveals why formal dispute settlement creates better outcomes for governments and their citizens.

List of Figures ix List of Tables x Acknowledgments xi List of Abbreviations xv Chapter 1:.Introduction 1 The Enforcement of International Trade Law 6 Overview 20 Chapter 2: Domestic Constraints and Active Enforcement 26 Trade Institutions and Liberalization 29 Political Origins of Demand for Trade Enforcement 39 Hypotheses for Trade Strategies 57 Conclusion 60 Chapter 3. The Democratic Propensity for Adjudication 62 Why Are Democracies Litigious? 66 Data 72 Democratic Challengers 80 Democratic Defendants 88 Alliances and Dyadic Dispute Patterns 92 Conclusion 100 Chapter 4:The Litigious State: U.S. Trade Policy 102 U.S. Role as Enforcer of Multilateral Trade Rules 104 Legislative Constraints in U.S. Trade Policy 111 The Kodak-Fuji Film Dispute 118 Foreign Trade Barrier Dataset 123 Statistical Analysis of U.S. Forum Choice 132 Boeing-Airbus Dispute 138 The China Problem 158 Conclusion 182 Chapter 5: The Reluctant Litigant: Japanese Trade Policy 185 Defending Market Access for Japanese Exports 187 Delegation in Japanese Trade Policy 195 Statistical Analysis of Japanese Forum Choice 210 Active Adjudication Targeting U.S. Steel Protection 225 Other Solutions for China 233 Conclusion 241 Chapter 6: Conflict Management: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Adjudication 244 Solving Hard Cases 246 Analysis of Progress to Remove Barrier 248 Analysis of Trade Dispute Duration 253 Conclusion 256 Chapter 7: Level Playing Field? Adjudication by Developing Countries 258 Peru Challenges European Food Labeling 262 Vietnam and the Catfish Dispute 267 Conclusion 279 Chapter 8: Conclusion 281 The Political Role of Adjudication 281 Conflict and Cooperation 293 Toward a Broader Theory of Legalization 297 Bibliography 301 Index 319

"Christina Davis provides fresh insight into the adjudication of trade disputes. She convincingly argues that governments routinely file such disputes as a response to domestic political pressure, and she furnishes an impressive array of empirical evidence to substantiate this claim. The result is a book that will make a significant contribution to research on the political economy of international trade."—Edward Mansfield, University of Pennsylvania

"Many scholars and professionals are focused on the question of the effectiveness of the WTO as a mechanism for resolution of trade disputes. This book offers particular insight into this question and also considers the implications for new entrants in the international trading system, such as China. Why Adjudicate? is an extremely insightful volume and a pleasure to read."—Merit E. Janow, Columbia University

"Why Adjudicate? makes an important set of arguments about the WTO, putting forth a novel theory of domestic politics to explain state behavior in the institution. This compelling book dovetails nicely with existing WTO studies in law, economics, and political science, yet moves beyond analyses of wins and losses."—Jon C. Pevehouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison, coauthor of While Dangers Gather: Congressional Checks on Presidential War Powers