Coherence in International Economic Policy-Making: Integrating the Poor into the World Trading System

The issue of coherence among international organizations has attracted considerable attention, particularly since the birth of the WTO. The Uruguay Round Declaration recognized the role of trade liberalization in achieving greater coherence in global economic policy-making, stating that the WTO shall cooperate with the IMF and the World Bank. This paper explores the origins of the concept of coherence, its evolution after the Uruguay Round, ways in which international organizations can work together, and what coherence should imply from both a general trade policy perspective and a development point of view.