Symbolic Deals

Symbolic deals in Global Commerce Policy

In this regard, symbolic deals is: a term used by Bernard Hoekman in Trade Laws and Institutions: Good Practices and the World Trade Organization to describe agreed negotiating outcomes that are apparently or patently not substantive. Such deals can occur in situations where the negotiators realize that agreement on the substantive issues is not possible for the time being, but to leave the table without any agreement at all might be worse presentationally. To do otherwise might also make it more difficult to restart the negotiations. Such deals sometimes are called political outcomes.[1]

Symbolic dealsin the wold Encyclopedia

For an introductory overview on international trade policy, see this entry.

Resources

Notes and References

1. Dictionary of Trade Policy, “Symbolic deals” entry (OAS)

See Also