This work examines the international standardization system generally, with a specific focus on some of the bodies within this system. It also questions the lack of definition regarding several features related to the system, notably an international standardizing body and international standards in the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

Congratulations on an outstanding book on the WTO TBT Agreement! International regulations and standards reflect societies' fundamental choices. Regulating and monitoring them is complex, and the renowned co-authors of this book have well understood the multi-faceted matters at stake. In this book, world experts have seized a unique opportunity provided by the wealth of recent TBT jurisprudence to analyse the different dimensions of the TBT Agreement, a WTO agreement little discussed up to now. WTO experts as well as anyone interested in the reach of WTO law into the balance between national sovereignty and the need for international co-operation must read this book.' - Gabrielle Marceau, WTO, Legal Affairs Division, UNIGE and Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland A relatively new frontier for legal and policy analysis, technical barriers to trade (TBT's) have become more common as traditional border barriers have been reduced. This comprehensive Handbook comprises original essays by eminent trade scholars exploring the implications of the WTO's TBT Agreement. The TBT Agreement imposes disciplines on the manner in which WTO member countries adopt and maintain technical measures, recognizing the importance of such measures to advance legitimate domestic policy goals such as health, safety and environmental objectives, but also the potential for technical measures to constitute barriers to trade. The contributors to this volume provide an in-depth examination of the text of the Agreement and how the WTO's dispute settlement system, the TBT Committee, WTO members, and other international organizations have engaged with and been affected by it. The book's comprehensive and accessible approach makes it a first point of reference for all trade law practitioners, policymakers and regulators. For scholars and students, the Handbook will prove essential reading for a deeper understanding of trade law. Contributors A.E. Appleton, A. Arcuri, M. Cardwell, H. Churchman, M.M. Du, T. Epps, C. Gascoigne, L. Gruszczynski, B. Hazucha, R. Howse, A. Kudryavtsev, P.C. Mavroidis, G. Mayeda, A. Mitchell, D. Prévost, F. Smith, J.P. Trachtman, M.J. Trebilcock, T. Voon, M. Wagner, E.N. Wijkström

Presents transparency as a key tool for managing trade disputes on regulatory barriers between WTO Members.

A discussion of the increasingly contentious debates over national regulations of safety and health in the international trade system

Nontariff Measures and International Trade includes 20 chapters authored by John Beghin and co-authors over the last 20 years on the economics of quality-standard like nontariff measures in the context of international trade. This book provides a coherent and comprehensive treatment of these nontariff measures, from their measurement to their effects on trade and welfare. In Part I, the authors use different perspectives to make the case that, unlike tariffs, quality-standard like nontariff measures are complex to measure and analyze and do not easily lead to general policy prescriptions. Then, Part II contains contributions on measurements of welfare and trade effects of nontariff measures, accounting for potential market imperfections. Part III presents chapters on the potential protectionism of nontariff measures when they are used to favor some economic agents over society. The last part presents cases studies of nontariff measures in different industries, markets, and countries.

This authoritative volume brings together for the first time the foremost research and commentary on technical barriers to trade. It explores the major theoretical issues associated with analysis of the impact of technical measures on trade in goods and the challenges associated with attempts to quantify impacts on trade flows. Previous empirical analyses of the impact of technical barriers on trade in goods in general are then presented. This is followed by in-depth coverage of the trade effects of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, an area where analysis is particularly challenging. Finally, the volume concludes by exploring institutional efforts to overcome the impact of technical barriers, including harmonization of standards and the role of the WTO. The WTO and Technical Barriers to Trade will be an invaluable source of reference for academics, students and policymakers alike.