The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization

Since the publication of its first edition, this textbook has been the prime choice of teachers and students alike, due to its clear and detailed explanation of the basic principles of the multilateral trading system and the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The fifth edition continues to explore the institutional and substantive law of the WTO. It has been updated to incorporate all new developments in the WTO's ever-growing body of case law. Moreover, each chapter includes a 'Further Readings' section to encourage and facilitate research and discussion on the topics addressed.

As in previous editions, each chapter also features a summary to reinforce learning. Questions, assignments, and exercises on WTO law and policy are contained in an online supplement, updated regularly. This textbook is an essential tool for all WTO law students and will also serve as a practitioner's introductory guide to the WTO.

About the Authors

Peter Van den Bossche was a Member of the Appellate Body of the WTO from 2009 to 2019, and served as its Chair in 2015. He is currently Director of Studies and Professor of International Economic Law at the World Trade Institute of the University of Bern, Switzerland. He serves as President of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) and is Editor of the World Trade Review. He is a visiting professor at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium; Maastricht University, the Netherlands; the LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy; and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. From 1997 to 2001, he was Counsellor at the Appellate Body Secretariat, and in 2001, served as Acting Director of the Secretariat. In the early 1990s, he worked as a référendaire at the European Court of Justice. Peter Van den Bossche is the author (with Denise Prévost) of Essentials of WTO Law, 2nd edition (2021).

Werner Zdouc was Director of the WTO Appellate Body Secretariat from 2006 to 2020. He is currently Director of the Knowledge and Information Management, Academic Outreach, and WTO Chairs Programme Division of the WTO. Dr Zdouc joined the WTO Legal Affairs Division in 1995 and the Appellate Body Secretariat in 2001. In 2008 to 2009, he chaired the WTO Joint Advisory Committee to the Director-General. He has been a lecturer and visiting professor at Vienna Economic University; the Universities of St Gallen, Zurich, Barcelona, and Yokohama; at Seoul National University; Fudan University Shanghai; the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization in Venice; and the Geneva Graduate Institute. He is a member of the International Law Association. From 1987 to 1989, he worked for governmental and nongovernmental development aid organisations in Austria and Latin America.