Trade, Labor & the Environment: Preview of the IMF/World Bank Meetings

As the protests at the WTO meeting in Seattle showed, two of the most controversial issues on the trade agenda relate to how, if at all, future trade negotiations should take account of differences in environmental and labor standards around the world. Some assert that both issues should be considered in trade negotiations. Others argue that labor and environmental standards are internal matters for individual countries, and should not be enforced in WTO negotiations.

The Brookings Institution and Resources For The Future have assembled a team of experts from both organizations to discuss these issues, in advance of the upcoming IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington and the announced plans for demonstrations related to them.