We provide a synthesis of the theoretical models that study the use of escape clauses, also known as safeguards, in multilateral and preferential trade agreements. We consider models that explain this type of flexibility based on economic efficiency, political economy shocks, and...

Modern practice of international business requires companies to structure their corporate form into one which would be advantageous and safe for the management, growth and sustainability of business. However, when corporate structuring is used to avoid obligations of the company, the latter may...

Kosovo and its citizens need trade liberalization in order to get quality goods and also decrease the imbalance in foreign trade. Recent agreements with the European Union and future trade preferences will certainly help the trade between EU and Kosovo. With this step in hand and the already...

Investor-State dispute settlement mechanisms (ISDS) are an important component of most International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and have significant influence on how disputes between States and investors are resolved.This statistical survey of a large sample of 1,660 bilateral investment...

The signature of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement during the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government held on 21 March 2018, in Kigali, Rwanda, marks a decisive turn in African regional economic integration. After...

The multilateral trading system that emerged in the post-World War II period was mainly a creation by and for developed countries to address protectionist measures adopted in the 1930s. The events that marked the interwar period were characterised by both economic and political challenges that...

The World Trade Organization (WTO) as an institution accords much less of a role to its chief officer and her staff, namely the WTO Director-General and the Secretariat, than do any of its sister international organizations—the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for...

International trade flows based on information. Is the foreign market open? What are the conditions for entry? Are there customs duties to be paid and other regulations that need to be satisfied? Businesses thrive on getting as much certainty as they can find, and this requires reliable...

Binding dispute settlement, meaning the ability to obtain a final judgment of whether a Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has acted inconsistently with its obligations, was the defining attribute of the WTO as created in 1995. Global commerce thrived on having the certainty provided...

India has been perceived now as a villain that stalled the entry into force of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the associated “Bali package”, a deal which was hailed as a landmark in the history of the WTO by none other than the former Union Minister...