The next DG of the WTO - What do the "stakeholders" say?

Discussions on who will be the next DG are heating up. Reports are abound on what is in store here, here and here.Eight candidates are in the fray. Will the next DG be the first from Africa? Will the next DG be the first woman DG? Will the next DG be a political representative or a trade bureaucrat? Well, these questions would only be answered when the next DG is actually announced, how about a survey on this aspect.

And a survey is exactly what was conducted and the results were brought out in this paper by the European University Institute. Titled "Stakeholder Preferences and Priorities for the Next WTO Director General" the working paper brings out the results of the survey conducted amongst a mixed stakeholder group. The paper states that "Government officials (including the EU) represent the second largest category of respondents (24.6%) after academia (25.1%); followed by the private sector (companies and business associations) (19%); staff of international organizations (18%) and NGOs, labor unions, think tanks (11% of the sample). There was at least one government respondent for 76 of the 164 WTO members (46% of the membership). Of the government and EU respondents, 31% (66) are based in Geneva."

Amongst the many responses, the conclusion of the paper highlighting the survey is interesting:

As far as the characteristics the "stakeholders" hoped the new DG would have, there was near unanimity - well who wouldn't want a professional manager!

The bottom line that emerges from the responses to the survey regarding priorities when it comes to the professional and personal attributes of the next DG is relatively clear. Competence, political experience, a network that spans major capitals, international business and international organizations, knowledge of the WTO negotiating process and a background in economics are all characteristics that are ranked most highly. Moreover, Geneva-based officials often accord greater priority to these characteristics than the total sample. 

Time for a political head for the WTO, not a bureaucratic leader!

One hypothesis this suggests is that the DG should not be a technocrat/WTO delegate. There is a recurring debate among trade officials and practitioners that has something of a cyclical dimension: should the WTO be led by an ex-Minister/senior politician or by a bureaucrat (a trade official)? The most recent DG was a bureaucrat; some of his predecessors were former Ministers or Prime-Ministers (e.g., Renato Ruggiero; Mike Moore). It appears that as far the respondents to the survey are concerned the pendulum has swung to a preference for the latter type of profile.

And thumbs up on the priorities for the new DG - sort out the dispute settlement crisis immediately!

There is a substantial degree of commonality in rank orderings of substantive issues for negotiation, institutional reform, and daily operations of the WTO. Resolving the dispute settlement crisis is a clear priority for most respondents, especially government officials.

Well, will these considerations play out when 164 members of the WTO come together to select the next DG? Are these priorities for capitals at all? What will play out as the selection process moves forward. Will it be a fair selection considering the formats and closed door selection process, as this piece suggested?

Let us wait and wait.