World Trade Organization’s (n.d.) (WTO) website declares that the mission of this group is to ensure that nations can sign agreements that promote smooth trade.
Another organization that advocates for free trade are the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which is similar to WTO but focuses only on the cooperation of states in Europe. EFTA is also intragovernmental, meaning that no single nation controls the decisions and policies of this institution (European Free Trade Association, n.d.). In contrast, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch (PCGTW) is critical of free trade, which is apparent from PCGTW’s website. PCGTW’s purpose is to ensure that the government works for the benefit of the citizens and not to promote corporations (Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, n.d.).
In comparison, WTO is a large multinational organization, while PCGTW operates only in the United States. Hence, the impact and the capacity of the latter to analyze trade agreements are lesser, which is the primary cause of differences between these organizations. Although EFTA also operates in a specific region, it is intragovernmental, unlike PCGTW. Moreover, WTO and EFTA help promote corporations and support the strengthening of multinational corporations since they benefit the most from free trade. However, PCGTW claims that these corporations have accumulated wealth and benefits while leaving the citizens behind (European Free Trade Association, n.d.). The latter struggle with healthcare and good quality of life due to Big Pharma and other corporations, as PCGTW claims. Therefore, this organization intends to oppose large corporations in their efforts to grow and trade across nations. Instead, his institutions claim to support the citizens of the U.S. and their right to control the government, unlike WTO or EFTA.
References
European Free Trade Commission. (n.d.). About EFTC. EFTC. Web.
Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch. (n.d.). Trade Act provides a roadmap to rebuilding the American consensus for trade expansion. PCGTW. Web.
World Trade Organization. (n.d.). The WTO. WTO. Web.