The dataset covers all 351 WTO disputes initiated through the official filing of a Request for Consultations at the WTO, from 1 January 1995 until October 25, 2006, and for these disputes it includes events occurring until December 31, 2006. For these disputes, the dataset covers exhaustively all stages of dispute settlement proceedings, from the moment when consultations are being requested to the eventual implementation of the rulings.
The dataset contains several hundred variables, providing information on various aspects of the legal procedure. The total number of entries is approximately 28,000. The dataset has been compiled on the basis of approximately 3,000 official WTO documents available at the WTO web site (www.wto.org).
The manual describes a dataset covering various aspects of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement (DS) system that has been compiled in project financed by the World Bank.