5. Conclusion

This chapter outlines the main findings of the book and proposes further research avenues. In doing so, it also provides an overview of the implications of its findings for trade politics in general, especially considering the growing economic nationalist rhetoric that have led to rising trade tensions across the globe. The primary finding of the book is that value chains shape preferences of firms and sectors toward open trade policies. This can be observed at the WTO dispute settlement and in response to WTO litigation, through which organized interests have mobilized for swift compliance with the rulings of the WTO panels. Moreover, we can observe such international firms’ and sectors’ mobilization beyond the WTO and opposing trade-restrictive measures enacted in the context of trade tensions across the globe. These observations indicate that even without a fully functioning WTO dispute settlement mechanism, there may be less to worry about backtracking an open world economy.