Trade Law

An exploration of the current state of global trade law in the era of Big Data and AI. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

This is primarily a textbook for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students of law. However, practising lawyers and policy-makers who are looking for an introduction to WTO law will also find it invaluable. The book covers both the institutional and substantive law of the WTO. While the treatment of the law is often quite detailed, the main aim of this textbook is to make clear the basic principles and underlying logic of WTO law and the world trading system. Each section contains questions and assignments, to allow students to assess their understanding and develop useful practical skills. At the end of each chapter there is a helpful summary, as well as an exercise on specific, true-to-life international trade problems.

Critics of the World Trade Organization argue that its binding dispute settlement process imposes a neoliberal agenda on member states. If this is the case, why would any nation agree to participate? Jacqueline Krikorian explores this question by examining the impact of the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism on domestic policies in the United States and Canada. She demonstrates that the WTO’s ability to influence domestic arrangements has been constrained by three factors: judicial deference, institutional arrangements, and strategic decision making by political elites in Ottawa and Washington. By bringing the insights of law and politics scholarship to bear on a subject matter traditionally addressed by international relations scholars, Krikorian shows that the classic division in political science between these two fields of study, though suitable in the postwar era, is outdated in the context of a globalized world.

This thought-provoking book examines the rise of animal welfare as a serious policy concern in the international trade law regime. The central focus is an in-depth study of the background and legal analysis of the landmark EC – Seal Products case, which confirmed the importance of animal welfare in WTO law. The book explores how the WTO handled the relationship between trade disciplines and animal welfare, including the particularly challenging questions around Indigenous seal hunting rights. It offers a detailed account of animal welfare and animal conservation commitments in new trade agreements, as well as mechanisms for enforcement, cooperation, and citizen participation.

A study of energy regulation in international trade law against the backdrop of energy markets that have undergone radical change.

This book covers the fundamentals of international trade law. In this respect, each key pillar of the discipline is unpacked in 10 self-contained chapters that will help readers understand and navigate the legal aspects of international trade and guide them through the aims and historical development of both intergovernmental and private systems of cross-border trading rules and institutions.

This book examines international trade law and its intersection with states and other aspects of the international system. It covers the economic and institutional context of the world trading system, substantive law of the WTO, dispute settlement, and the interaction between trade and other disciplines in international law.

Written by a team of leading scholar/practitioners including a former Appellate Body member, PhD economist and former WTO Secretariat Lawyer, International Trade Law covers all aspects of WTO law. Appropriate for a two- to three-hour international trade course, the third edition covers trade in goods, services, and intellectual property, in 22 succinct chapters of around 30 pages, carefully excerpting leading cases, providing basic introductions, probing questions and real life problems. This book balances positive and normative perspectives, mixing legal texts and panel/Appellate Body decisions with analysis of economic and policy challenges faced by the international trading system. The Third Edition has been updated to include recent political and economic events, issues and policy debates, and supplements new developments in case law with additional questions and a revised Teacher’s Manual. Hallmark features of International Trade Law: • Prepared by three leading WTO scholars – providing a balanced international and methodological perspective • Up-to-date, discriminating case selection presents both classic cases and recent doctrine • Contextualizes international trade issues with insights into key economic factors at work • Key WTO cases are edited and presented to illustrate and teach central concepts and doctrine • Illuminating introductory and explanatory material throughout • Helpful summaries of key teaching points are included in each chapter • Well-crafted questions stimulate class discussion on policy issues • Manageable length for two- and three-credit courses • Adaptable to graduate-level courses in international trade • Comprehensive Teachers Manual with answers to questions as well as teaching suggestions, tips, and supplementary material appropriate for class discussion • Complemented by a thorough and up-to-date documents supplement The Third Edition has been revised to include: • Third author added: Jennifer Hillman, former member of the WTO Appellate Body and the US International Trade Commission, now Professor at Georgetown Law • Major revision of trade remedy chapters (dumping, subsidies, safeguards) with new hands-on practical problems • Completely revised chapter on technical barriers to trade (TBT) taking account of new jurisprudence post-2012 (US – Clove Cigarettes, US - Tuna II, US – COOL, EC – Seal) • New text on post-2008 trade collapse, global value chains • Updated statistics on WTO dispute settlement, free trade agreements, developing countries • Discussion of 2015 US Trade Promotion Authority, mega-regionals including TPP and TTIP, 2014 Trade Facilitation Agreement • Includes summaries of new, major cases such as Canada – Feed-in Tariff, EC – Seal, Peru – Agricultural Products, China – Rare Earths