They offer a package approach to trade negotiations that can sometimes be more fruitful than negotiations on a single issue. The size of the package can mean more benefits because participants can seek and secure advantages across a wide range of issues. In a package, the ability to trade-off different issues can make agreement easier to reach because somewhere in the package there is something for everyone. This has political as well as economic implications. Developing countries and other less powerful participants have a greater chance of influencing the multilateral system in a trade round than in bilateral relationships with major trading nations.
Recent history is ambiguous.
At some stages, the Uruguay Round seemed so cumbersome that agreement in every subject by all participating countries appeared impossible. In 1997, single-sector talks were concluded successfully in basic telecommunications, information technology equipment and financial services. The debate continues. Whatever the answer, the reasons are not straightforward. Perhaps success depends on using the right type of negotiation for the particular time and context.