Rethinking Fair Trade

In recent years the devastating impact of Western protectionism on the world's poorest countries has been publicised as never before. But whilst the issue has been raised in the public consciousness, progress at the negotiation table has remained blocked. The interests of the poorest countries have been subsumed in battles between large trading powers and the richest countries have proved unwilling to agree to reform out of fear that they will be overwhelmed by the more dynamic developing countries. In this report a group of prominent trade experts (including Patrick Messerlin, Stephen Byers, Stephany Griffith-Jones, Chris Haskins, Harriet Lamb, Philippe Legrain, Herbert Obberhaensli and Jack Thurston) move beyond the blame game to set out the practicalities of reaching a deal that will be palatable to rich and poor countries alike.