International Economic Law and Policy Blog (Page 494)

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IEL Conference in New Zealand

For those in the neighborhood, or who want to take a nice trip, the New Zealand Centre of International Economic Law is holding its inaugural conference on 14-15 December 2007 in Wellington, New Zealand. The conference is entitled: International Economic Law and National Autonomy: Convergence or Divergence? The program

WTO Appellate Body Selection

I have heard that the WTO is now in the process of selecting two new Appellate Body members to replace Mr. Taniguchi and Ms. Janow later this year. I have also heard rumors about the US government's nominees but could not find anything on it on the USTR

Should the WTO Play a Role in Currency Issues?

Director-General Pascal Lamy says no: The World Trade Organization should not take on the job of deciding whether China or any other country is following an appropriate currency policy, the head of the WTO said on Monday. "This is something for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and I

Reimagining Free Trade (for Free)

Professor Roberto Unger has written "Free Trade Reimagined: The World Division of Labor and the Method of Economics," and it is posted online as a free PDF. From the web description: "Unger takes a new approach to show when international trade is likely to be useful or

Trade Rules and Tax Incentives for Locating Production

The Section 301 petition I mentioned a few weeks ago regarding Canadian subsidies to lure U.S. production of movies and TV shows has been rejected by USTR. The USTR press release says: "Based on a thorough review of the economic data, other facts, and legal arguments set out

Disclosure of Panel Reports

On October 15, Brazil's Ministry of External Relations posted a press release on the Cotton Dispute. The Ministry stated that the final report of the compliance panel "confirms the Brazilian understanding with regard to the insufficiency of the measures taken by the United States to comply with

No Search For You!

I don't know what China's GATS commitments are in this area, but at least in principle this seems like a national treatment violation if the government was involved: US Internet search engines in China were being hijacked and directed to Chinese-owned Baidu, analysts said Wednesday,

Ron Paul on Trade Agreements

He's not a leading candidate, but Ron Paul does have a devoted group of libertarian followers. His view on trade, as I understand it, is that we should practice free trade, but we don't need trade agreements and international institutions to accomplish this. But this statement

The WTO, Cotton, and Fruits and Vegetables

Recent news reports indicate that the U.S. has lost before the compliance panel in the Cotton dispute. I always found the planting restrictions on fruits and vegetables that became an issue in the case very confusing from a policy perspective (why are we discouraging fruits and vegetables?), but this

Environmental Subsidies and their Trade Effects

My feeling has always been that many alleged trade and the environment conflicts are overblown. But here's a conflict that seems real and problematic: The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) said it plans to submit antidumping trade complaints to the European Union and the World Trade Organization against U.