International trade is our point of departure. We examine how trade flows and trade laws influence the following aspects of sustainable development:

Climate and the environment: Trade can spread environmentally friendly technologies, but it can also trap countries in competition for the lowest environmental standards. Equally important is the relationship between WTO rules and environmental regulation at national and international level. How can a coherent, mutually supportive legal order be designed?

Employment and social justice: Trade creates and destroys jobs; it raises working conditions in some instances, while it exerts downward pressure on labor and social standards in others. It can ease inequality – or exacerbate it. We identify the winners and losers and consider how trade can be harnessed for social welfare.

Development and global justice: We analyze the role of trade in the fight against poverty. This leads us to look at the interplay of trade with other economic policies, including privatization, competition policy, industrial policy and foreign direct investment regulation.

Democracy and legitimacy: We discuss the institutions and political processes through which trade law is created and implemented. A key issue is whether rich and poor, large and small countries wield adequate influence in WTO negotiations. We also think about how national parliaments and civil society organizations can be better integrated into international policy-making.

On which subjects we work depends on the services we deliver. We can develop, edit or translate texts on a great breadth of economic and sustainability issues. By contrast, we limit our consulting services to our core issues where we have in-depth knowledge.