Discursive Democracy in and around the World Trade Organization The Making of the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (Doha Declaration)

Abstract: Deliberative democratic theory has become prominent in international relations. This thesis applies Dryzek's theory of transnational discursive democracy in order to examine the role of global civil society in the promotion of discursive global governance in the context of the making of the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health (Doha Declaration) at the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Doha. The debate on democratic deficit is briefly discussed followed by a more thorough discussion on discursive democracy. Some basic features of the WTO are examined. The Medicines case with focus on the actions of global deliberative society is described. The analysis of the Medicines case shows that global civil society may have contributed to the creation of a global public sphere, which in turn has changed the global politics of trade and intellectual property by making public health considerations legitimate. The thesis is concluded with some short observations on the issue of structure and agency, and a brief discussion on the issue of power.