Among the factors which could explain the failure and success stories of market integration through the WTO law, issues related to democracy ar the most important as they determine the legitimacy or otherwise of such integration process. This work examines questions of democratic legitimacy in WTO accession with a focus on Ethiopia’s accession process. Many are anticipating that Ethiopia will join the WTO in the near future due to the lowered accession standards under the revised accession guidelines issued in 2012. However, the government has not yet shown willingness to give up control over state-owned services. This work investigates the democratic legitimacy of this accession process. Thus, it answers this question: How far the elements of democratic legitimacy are observed in Ethiopia’s accession process to the WTO? Procedural and substantive elements of democracy are employed in analyzing legitimacy of governance at national and multinational level.
Global Trade and Customs Journal