International Economic Law and Policy Blog

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Simon Lester

Guest Post: Reining in the Foreign Subsidies Regulation through international investment law

This is a guest post from trade lawyer Victor Crochet and law professor Bin Ye 1. Comes the Foreign Subsidies Regulation The European Union’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation entered into force a year ago. It grants the European Commission far reaching power to screen mergers and acquisitions as well as

What To Look For In a Trump II Trade Policy

It has only been a few hours since the election results came in, so at this point I have lots of questions but few answers as to what the incoming Trump administration will do on trade policy. Here are a few of the questions. Personnel Who will Trump put in

Conference on “Navigating the Future: Industrial Policy and Global Competitiveness”

Centre for International Trade and Business Laws, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad in collaboration with World Trade Institute, University of Bern and Centre for Trade and Investment Law (IIFT) and The WTO Chairs Programme in India is organising International Conference on “Navigating the Future: Industrial Policy and Global Competitiveness” on

Beggar-Thy-Neighbor vs. Protectionism as Frameworks for the Trading System

In a recent piece, Dani Rodrik argues that current global trading rules interfere too much with domestic regulation and that "the world economy desperately needs a clear normative framework to determine the rules of the road." In this regard, he distinguishes between two options: (1) "policies with

Jake Sullivan on the International Economic Agenda, Part 2

In April 2023, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan gave a speech at Brookings on the Biden Administration's international economic agenda, and I had some comments in response. Yesterday, Sullivan returned to Brookings to, as the event page describes it, "reflect on the progress and challenges

Do Foreign Digital Regulations "Discriminate" against U.S. Firms? The Case of Korea

Just about everybody agrees that "non-discrimination" is a core principle of the trading system, but what exactly do we mean by it? What is the role of intent and effect? Governments who feel like their companies are being hurt by a foreign regulation often focus on the effect,

More (and More and More) Trump on Tariffs

As I mentioned last week, Trump constantly talks about tariffs, but that hasn't led to voters thinking of tariffs and trade as a top policy issue. After I did my post, Trump gave an interview in which he talked about tariffs even more than usual. (Normally I provide

Is Trade Policy on the Ballot in the U.S. Presidential Election?

A recent AP piece on U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai's trade policies is entitled: "Top US trade official sees progress in helping workers. Voters will decide if her approach continues." It then leads off with this: As the U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai is

Guest Post: Commerce Department Regulations on “Connected” Vehicles: Potential Impacts on Chinese, Mexican, and other Automotive Imports to the United States

This is a guest post from David A. Gantz, JD, JSM, Will Clayton Fellow for Trade and International Economics, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public policy, Houston and Michelle Michot Foss, PhD, Fellow in Energy, Minerals and Materials, Baker Institute Introduction: The Proposed Regulations On Monday, September 23, The

Guest Post: A Tribute to Frieder Roessler from Werner Zdouc

This is a guest post by Werner Zdouc. The piece will be published in a forthcoming issue of the World Trade Review. A universalist, shaping destinies, staying true to himself Werner Zdouc Frieder Rössler was a principled pragmatist, who throughout his career never compromised on his high intellectual and ethical