The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the central multilateral institution regulating global trade. While existing research has largely focused on how WTO membership affects economic parameters, there is limited work on how the organisation has addressed trade-related issues, in particular democracy.

The discussion will focus on one of the WTO’s most prominent institutions for evaluating developments in trade policy and related policies within WTO member states: the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM), which periodically assesses each WTO member.

Based on publicly available meeting documents from 417 TPRM reviews conducted between 1995 and 2023, the analysis presented at the event will apply a range of text-as-data methods and regression analysis. This allows for the identification of patterns and trends over time, as well as the actors who have advocated for or opposed democracy promotion within the WTO framework.

At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.