Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements
Commentary and Analysis

This second edition provides updated, comprehensive and systemic analysis of the contents and recent trends of BRTAs.

Simon Lester (Edited by), Bryan Mercurio (Edited by), Lorand Bartels (Edited by)

9781107063907, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 January 2016

496 pages, 8 b/w illus.
25 x 17.5 x 2.8 cm, 1.14 kg

The stalling of the Doha Development Round trade negotiations has resulted in bilateral and regional free trade agreements (BRTAs) becoming an important alternative. These agreements have proliferated in recent years, and now all of the major trading countries are engaging in serious bilateral trade negotiations with multiple trading partners. This second edition provides updated and comprehensive analysis of the contents and trends of recent BRTAs. It is unique in that it situates these agreements in their economic, international law and international relations contexts. It also comprehensively reviews the recent agreements in relation to each substantive topic covered (e.g. intellectual property, investment, services and social policy) so as to provide an overview of the law being created in these areas.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction Simon Lester, Bryan Mercurio and Lorand Bartels
Part II. Economics and Politics of PTAs: 2. The economics of PTAs Pravin Krishna
3. The political economy of PTAs Olivier Cattaneo
4. Bilateral and plurilateral PTAs David Evans
Part III. Relationship with WTO and International Law: 5. Legal requirements for PTAs under the WTO Andrew D. Mitchell and Nicolas J. S. Lockhart
6. PTAs and public international law Andrew D. Mitchell, Tania Voon and Elizabeth Sheargold
Part IV. Legal Aspects of PTAs: A Comparative Analysis: 7. Regulatory regionalism in the WTO – are 'deep integration' processes compatible with the multilateral trading system? James H. Mathis
8. Agriculture Timothy E. Josling
9. Services Federico Ortino
10. Investment Joshua P. Meltzer
11. Government procurement Arwel Davies
12. Intellectual property Michael Handler and Bryan Mercurio
13. Social issues: labour, environment and human rights Lorand Bartels
14. Dispute settlement Victoria Donaldson and Simon Lester.

Subject Areas: International economic & trade law [LBBM]