Introduction

The WTO faces existential challenges driven primarily by internal, dysfunctional decision-making processes. Over time, these difficulties have manifested as persistent negotiation deadlocks, delayed decisions and an inability to deliver binding outcomes. At the core lies a fundamental dilemma: the consensus rule, designed to ensure legitimacy, now paralyzes collective action due to Members’ increasingly heterogeneous economic, regulatory and geopolitical interests. This structural paralysis reflects the erosion of “cooperative consensus”—an institutional culture of rule-oriented engagement, mutual restraint and calculated compromise. Consequently, an “efficiency deficit” has emerged, widening the gap between Members’ expectations and the Organization’s actual capacity to deliver decisions. Rather than abandoning consensus for majoritarian voting, this introductory chapter lays the groundwork for how the book explores its revitalization. By analyzing theoretical frameworks and key institutional practices, the chapter previews pathways to restore WTO’s decision-making functionality while preserving its foundational commitments to inclusiveness and legitimacy.