The linkages between human rights and multilateral trade have been a subject of considerable debate in the last decade or so. The emergence of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 as the nodal agency for multilateral trade in goods and services led to its intrusion into many issues that...

Regulatory cooperation to eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) resulting from differences in product standards and technical regulations has become a prominent issue in Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) negotiations. This paper looks at the most important challenges and opportunities...

This chapter examines the ways in which the European Union (EU) has reacted to panel and Appellate Body Reports of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The rejection of direct effect of WTO law and jurisprudence by the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) left to the EU's political organs...

We study how the interaction between economic openness and competitive selection affects the effectiveness of employment (and entry) subsidisation. Within a two-country heterogeneous-firms model with endogenous labour supply, we find that optimal employment subsidies are always positive even...

To date, government procurement has been effectively carved out of the main multilateral rules of the WTO system. This paper examines the systemic and other ramifications of this exclusion, from both an economic and a legal point of view. In addition to relevant elements of the WTO Agreements,...

This paper provides an assessment of the impact of a package of structural reforms in the European Union and the United States on long-run trade and output gains accruing to OECD countries. The package includes reforms that reduce competition-restraining regulations, cut tariff barriers and ease...

This paper provides an assessment of the impact of a package of structural reforms in all OECD countries on their long-run trade and output gains. The package includes reforms that reduce competition-restraining regulations, cut tariff barriers and ease restrictions on foreign direct investment...

To date, government procurement has been effectively carved out of the main multilateral rules of the WTO system. This paper examines the systemic and other ramifications of this exclusion, from both an economic and a legal point of view. In addition to relevant elements of the WTO Agreements,...

China joined the World Trade Organization (‘WTO’) in 2001 after almost 15 years of negotiations, making extensive commitments to open its markets to foreign investment and liberalise trade in goods and services. China represents a huge potential market for foreign telecommunications service...

Are trade facilitation measures under free trade agreements (FTAs) discriminatory? This important question has yet to be sufficiently explored by the existing literature on trade facilitation. Despite the multilateral scope and non-discriminatory objectives of trade facilitation measures, some...