Recent debates on the operation of the WTO’s dispute resolution mechanism have focused primarily on the Appellate Body (AB). We argue that this neglects the first-order issue confronting the rules-based trading system: sustaining the principle of de-politicized conflict resolution that is reflected in the negative consensus rule for adoption of dispute settlement findings. Improving the quality of the work of panels by appointing a roster of full-time professional adjudicators, complemented by reforms to WTO working practices that reduce incentives to resort to formal dispute settlement, can resolve the main issues that led to the AB crisis. Effective, coherent, and consistent WTO dispute resolution need not include an AB. An appropriately redesigned single-stage process can serve just as well, if not better.

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AB还是不AB？世贸组织改革争端解决

最近关于 WTO 争端解决机制运作的辩论主要集中在上诉机构 (AB) 上。我们认为，这忽略了基于规则的贸易体系面临的首要问题：维持非政治化冲突解决的原则，该原则反映在采纳争端解决结果的否定共识规则中。通过任命全职专业仲裁员名册来提高专家组的工作质量，辅以 WTO 工作实践的改革，减少诉诸正式争端解决的动机，可以解决导致 AB 危机的主要问题。有效、连贯和一致的 WTO 争端解决不需要包括 AB。一个经过适当重新设计的单阶段过程也可以提供同样的效果，甚至更好。