At the WTO, the precautionary principle/approach is considered as a protectionary mechanism, i.e. and alleged justification for potentially WTO-illegal trade restrictions. This article presents a survey of some pronouncements of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body including two case studies at...

The year 2011 marked the 10th year of China's World Trade Organization (WTO) membership. Acceding to the WTO demonstrates China's attempt to integrate in the global trading system as one of the world's biggest economies. To date, China has been involved in 31 WTO cases as complainant or...

We investigate the intrinsic motivation of individuals to report, and thereby sanction, fellow group members who lie for personal gain. We further explore the changes in lying and reporting behavior that result from giving individuals a say in who joins their group. We find that enough...

Firms exhibit heterogeneity in size, productivity, and internal structure, and this is true even within the same industry. It has been thought since the time of Adam Smith that a firm's internal structure affects its productivity through the channel of gains from specialization. Our paper...

The relationship between third-party contract enforcement and informal networks raises important sociological, political, and economic questions. When economic activity is embedded in social structures, what are the implications of third-party contract enforcement for the scope and nature of...

Bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are typically presented as vital risk-mitigating instruments providing foreign investors with “credible commitments” that their assets will not be expropriated, discriminated against, or otherwise maltreated post-establishment. Accordingly, developing...