Call For Submissions: Trade, Law And Development Special Issue “Navigating The Murky Waters Of Economic Treaties In International Trade” [Issue 16.1 | Winter '24]
LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK
23 Oct 2024 11:08 AM IST
Founded in 2009, the philosophy of Trade, Law and Development (TL&D) has been to generate and sustain a constructive and democratic debate on emergent issues in international economic law and to serve as a forum for the discussion and distribution of ideas. Towards these ends, the Journal has published works by noted scholars such as the WTO DDG Yonov F. Agah, Dr. (Prof.) Ernst Ulrich Petersmann, Prof. Christian Häberli, Prof. Petros Mavroidis, Prof. Mitsuo Matsuhita, Prof. Raj Bhala, Prof. Joel Trachtman, Dr. (Prof.) Gabrielle Marceau, Prof. Simon Lester, Prof. Bryan Mercurio, and Prof. M. Sornarajah, among others. TL&D also has the distinction of being ranked the best journal in India across all fields of law for seven consecutive years by Washington and Lee University, School of Law.
Pursuant to this philosophy, the Board of Editors of Trade, Law and Development has announced “Navigating the Murky Waters of Economic Treaties in International Trade” as the theme for its next Special Issue (Vol. XVI, No. 1).
In contrast to the stagnation in multilateral trade negotiations, certain economic treaties like Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have gained increasing prominence over the past two decades. The number of active PTAs nearly quadrupled between 2000 and 2022, demonstrating their growing importance. PTAs allow countries to customize trade rules according to their specific economic relationships, leading to significant reductions in trade costs and enhanced policy cooperation. This trend reflects a shift towards more flexible and adaptable trade arrangements in response to the limitations of multilateral negotiations. Moreover, PTAs are evolving into Deep Trade Agreements (DTAs), which cover a broad spectrum of policy areas beyond traditional tariff policies. These agreements encompass issues such as competition policy, government procurement rules, investment rules, labour policy, environment policy, and intellectual property rights, reflecting the increasing complexity of international trade agreements.
The proliferation of PTAs and DTAs has led to a multiplication of treaty layers in the global trade landscape, resulting in increased complexity and the potential for overlap and inconsistency. While some commentators view PTAs as beneficial for fostering international commerce and economic growth, others express concerns about their impact on increasing costs, regulatory complexity, and competitive preferences. Given the growing number and complexity of PTAs and DTAs, conducting in-depth studies of these agreements is essential to understand their implications for the multilateral trading system. This shift towards bilateral and regional agreements underscores the need for ongoing analysis and evaluation to ensure coherence and effectiveness in the global trade regime.
While the theme is broad enough to cover a wide range of issues, an indicative list of specific areas is as follows:
- Up-And-Coming Trade Agreements (e.g., Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership)
- Understanding The Interplay Between WTO Trade Obligations and PTAs
- PTAs And the Global South
- PTAs And the International Investment Law Regime
- Dispute Settlement Mechanisms in PTAs
- PTAs In a Post-Brexit Eurozone
- Emergence Of FTAs, RTAs And MRTAs
- Understanding Impact Of COVID-19 On PTAs
- PTAs And Sustainable Development Goals
- PTAs And the Regulation of Digital Economies
- Understanding the Relevance of PTAs in a Globalized World Order
- Emergence Of DTAs
These sub-issues are not exhaustive, and the Journal is open to receiving submissions on all aspects related to the theme relating to PTAs and their impact both on the international trade regime and the global trading system.
Accordingly, the Board of Editors of Trade, Law and Development is inviting original, unpublished manuscripts for publication in the Special Issue of the Journal Winter 2024 (Vol. XVI, No. 1) in the form of 'Articles', 'Notes', 'Comments' and 'Book Reviews', focusing on the theme “Navigating the Murky Waters of Economic Treaties in International Trade”.
Manuscripts received by November 16, 2024, pertaining to any sub-theme within the purview of challenges faced by international trade, will be reviewed for publication in the Winter '24 issue.
Manuscripts may be submitted via e-mail or the Journal's website. For further information about the Journal and submission guidelines, please click here.
Contact: editors[at]tradelawdevelopment[dot]com.
