A comprehensive analysis of GATS that considers its historical context, the national preferences that shaped it, and a path to a GATS 2.0. The previous two volumes in The Regulation of International Trade analyzed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the first successful agreement to generate multilateral trade liberalization, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), for which the GATT laid the groundwork. In this third volume, Petros Mavroidis turns to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), a WTO treaty that took effect in 1995, and offers a comprehensive analysis that considers the historical context of the GATS, the national preferences that shaped it, and a path to a GATS 2.0.

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2023 in the subject Business economics - Trade and Distribution, , language: English, abstract: This doctoral dissertation deals with rules on digital trade in the light of WTO agreements. Digital trade has brought about profound changes in the international trade framework. Traditional trade, which primarily involved the exchange of physical goods, has now expanded to encompass a wide range of digitally delivered services, online transactions, and data flows. This transformation has been driven by advancements in technology and the increasing interconnectedness of the global economy. The digital economy encompasses various digital technologies and platforms and has become a significant driver of economic growth and innovation. It allows businesses to reach international markets more quickly and efficiently, transcending geographical barriers. The internet, mobile devices, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence have facilitated this digital transformation. These technologies enable seamless communication, data storage and processing, automation, and personalised services, revolutionising how businesses operate and engage in international trade. Digital trade has created new opportunities for businesses of all sizes. Small and medium-sized enterprises have benefited from the ability to access global markets through digital platforms and e-commerce. These platforms provide a means for Small and medium-sized enterprises to connect with potential customers worldwide, establish their presence, and market their products and services without needing a physical presence in foreign markets. This has lowered entry barriers and empowered Small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in global value chains, expanding their reach and contributing to economic growth. One of the notable developments in the digital trade era is the rise of platform-based businesses. These platforms, such as e-commerce marketplaces, ride-sharing services, and online payment systems, act as intermediaries connecting buyers and sellers across borders. They facilitate transactions, provide infrastructure and services, and enable businesses to expand their customer base globally. Platforms have become influential players in international trade, shaping market dynamics and redefining traditional trading system.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming economies, societies, and geopolitics. Enabled by the exponential increase of data that is collected, transmitted, and processed transnationally, these changes have important implications for international economic law (IEL). This volume examines the dynamic interplay between AI and IEL by addressing an array of critical new questions, including: How to conceptualize, categorize, and analyze AI for purposes of IEL? How is AI affecting established concepts and rubrics of IEL? Is there a need to reconfigure IEL, and if so, how? Contributors also respond to other cross-cutting issues, including digital inequality, data protection, algorithms and ethics, the regulation of AI-use cases (autonomous vehicles), and systemic shifts in e-commerce (digital trade) and industrial production (fourth industrial revolution). This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Jagdish Bhagwati, the internationally renowned economist who uniquely combines a reputation as the leading scholar of international trade with a substantial presence in public policy on the important issues of the day, shines here a critical light on Preferential Trade Agreements, revealing how the rapid spread of PTAs endangers the world trading system. Numbering by now well over 300, and rapidly increasing, these preferential trade agreements, many taking the form of Free Trade Agreements, have re-created the unhappy situation of the 1930s, when world trade was undermined by discriminatory practices. Whereas this was the result of protectionism in those days, ironically it is a result of misdirected pursuit of free trade via PTAs today. The world trading system is at risk again, the author argues, and the danger is palpable. Writing with his customary wit, panache and elegance, Bhagwati documents the growth of these PTAs, the reasons for their proliferation, and their deplorable consequences which include the near-destruction of the non-discrimination which was at the heart of the postwar trade architecture and its replacement by what he has called the spaghetti bowl of a maze of preferences. Bhagwati also documents how PTAs have undermined the prospects for multilateral freeing of trade, serving as stumbling blocks, instead of building blocks, for the objective of reaching multilateral free trade. In short, Bhagwati cogently demonstrates why PTAs are Termites in the Trading System.

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.

This comprehensive Research Handbook analyzes the impact of the rapid growth of digital trade on businesses, consumers, and regulators. Leading experts provide theoretical and practical insight into how to manage the legal and policy challenges of the global digital economy.