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Neither Reluctant nor Aggressive Legalism: E ast A sian Countries under the W orld T rade O rganization Dispute Settlement Mechanism
Author(s) -
Moon Don
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
pacific focus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.172
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1976-5118
pISSN - 1225-4657
DOI - 10.1111/pafo.12004
Subject(s) - legalism (western philosophy) , argument (complex analysis) , political science , mechanism (biology) , settlement (finance) , law , law and economics , sociology , economics , philosophy , politics , epistemology , finance , payment , biochemistry , chemistry
This article explores the distinctive features of E ast A sian countries' involvement in the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) dispute‐settlement mechanism ( DSM ). Existing studies are divided into two opposing groups according to what they argue. The “passive legalism” argument emphasizes the reluctant attitude of E ast A sian countries, and tends to underestimate their involvement in the WTO DSM . On the other hand, the “aggressive legalism” argument highlights the drastic shift in E ast A sian countries' behavior from passive avoidance to aggressive utilization of the WTO DSM , and tends to overestimate E ast A sian countries' status in the system. Analyzing WTO dispute data, this article criticizes the limitations of both arguments and suggests responsive legalism or adaptive legalism as a more accurate concept for describing E ast A sian countries' legal attitude and behavior under the WTO DSM .