2 involving or affecting several different countries, organizations, etc.:
We derive six categories of multilateral co-operation, and then assess the evidence for two five-year periods, 1985-89 and 1990-94.
In this sense, multilateral agencies serve as an enforcement mechanism in an international setting, thereby providing a rationale for the existence of such organizations.
There was also growing frustration with the limited concrete results of the process of multilateral trade negotiations.
Recent regionalism is much more driven by changing the balances within the multilateral system.
These can be mitigated if governments anchor liberalization commitments in regional agreements that supplement the multilateral process.
Thus, the multilateral process triggers the regionalization of the negotiation process and hence is complementary to the formation of preferential trading agreements.
The failure of multilateral punishment in such situations does not mean that agents cannot bilaterally punish those who cheat them.
Finally, in the classified advertisements markets both buyers and sellers competitively negotiate on a multilateral basis for limited resources.
