Dr Mona Paulsen

This course is available on the LLM (extended part-time), LLM (full-time), MSc in Development Studies and University of Pennsylvania Law School LLM Visiting Students. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course has a limited number of places and demand is typically high. This may mean that you’re not able to get a place on this course.

None. Students with no previous background in public international law may find it helpful to consider consulting a standard textbook such as M. Evans (ed.), International Law (5th ed., 2018) or G. Hernandez, International Law (2019).

This course offers an introduction to the basic legal principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as the most salient challenges confronting the organisation today. The course begins by introducing students to the economic and political theories of international trade and global economic integration. The course proceeds with a history of the multilateral trading system, beginning with the stillborn International Trade Organization, the slow legalisation of trade pursuant to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and the eventual creation of the WTO. Against this history, students will study the political economy of trade, and evaluate the debates about economic globalisation.

By the end of the course, students will understand the basic system of WTO rules and exceptions. In addition, students will evaluate WTO institutional functions, including trade negotiations and dispute settlement. We will critically assess current challenges to the functioning of the WTO disputes settlement system, which operates without a functioning appeals mechanism since 2019.

This course aims for students to gain a solid theoretical understanding of WTO principles and practices, to gain the skills to evaluate WTO rules, and to debate future WTO reforms. Every effort is made to contextualise current trade conflicts in the political economy of international trade. Seminar readings will include interdisciplinary authorities to help students dissect various economic, political, and social questions about the international economic order. The course closes with discussion on the future of the multilateral trading system, considering member states interests in novel areas, such as electronic commerce, the rising securitisation of trade, climate change, and future coordination for pandemics.

Students with deeper interests in development issues and/or the political economy of trade may complement this course with LL4AV: International Economic Law and Development.

This course will have two hours of teaching content each week in Michaelmas Term and two additional hours in the Summer Term. There will be a Reading Week in Week 6 of Michaelmas Term.

One 2,000 word formative essay during the course.

Each week includes a detailed reading guide of essential and further readings. Essential readings are often extracted textbook chapters, relevant WTO rules, and extracts from WTO dispute settlement reports. Some weeks may require students to read academic work or other primary materials.  Where possible, readings will include relevant videos and podcasts to enhance student learning.

There is no set textbook for the course, but textbooks are all found online. Indicative textbooks include P. Van den Bossche & W. Zdouc, The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization: Text, Cases and Materials (CUP, 5th ed., 2021); S. Lester et al., World Trade Law, Texts Materials, and Commentary (3rd ed.  2018); and R. Howse et al The Regulation of International Trade (4th ed., 2013).

Primary WTO source materials are available for download from the WTO’s website.

Exam (100%, duration: 2 hours, reading time: 15 minutes) in the summer exam period.