Contents

Researching International Economic Law on the Internet

 

Introduction

Your starting point for international economic research, this guide brings together key databases, research sites, caselaw links, treaties, IGOs and national documents in one convenient page. Under each topic, you will find links to recommended sites, the full text of international instruments, government documents and cases.

The site is updated regularly, so return often for new information!

If you have questions about researching international economic law or using library materials, please feel free to contact the Wolff Library reference desk at 202-662-4195 or by email: intlref@law.georgetown.edu. You may also submit your question via this online form.


Antitrust

 

Recommended Sites

  • APEC Competition Policy and Law Database is a project of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organization. It includes 14 categories of information (such as competition policies/laws, judicial cases, international agreements and statistical data) for 21 member economies. The database is searchable and browseable by category and country. The amount and quality of information available varies from country to country. In some cases, the full text is available.
  • Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Competition Policy contains the COMESA Competition Rules, Competition Regulations, Report on the COMESA Regional Competition Law and Policy, and the Report of the COMESA Experts' Meeting on the Regional Competition Policy, all in PDF format.
  • Competition Policy, OAS includes links to national legislation on free competition in the Western Hemisphere, links to competition agencies in the Western Hemisphere and other Regions, links FTAA Publications prepared by the Trade Unit of OAS, information on regional and global organizations working with competition policy issues, essays and other published papers analyzing competition policy issues, and links to journals specialized in competition policy matters.

  • European Commission Competition Web Site contains a wealth of information on European Union competition law, including legislation, case law, international agreements, reports and other documents. Full text of competition legislation from individual member states is also available, as well as links to competition authorities and related ministries in each country.

  • Global Competition Law Forum (International Bar Association) provides links to the world's competition laws by region and than by country.
  • OECD Competition Law and Policy Home Page is an excellent source of information on national competition laws and policies. It also makes available the full text of many reports and recommendations from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
  • Other Antitrust Sites Worldwide (DOJ) is a list of foreign government antitrust web sites.
  • UNCTAD Competition Law and Policy and Consumer Protection site offers several useful resources from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development: a Directory of Competition Authorities, the annual Handbook on Competition Legislation, the Model Law on Competition, and other documents and reports on competition law.
  • WTO Competition Policy site provides access to official documents of WTO competition policy - annual reports, minutes, and working documents. Documents are available in English, French and Spanish.

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

Government Documents & International Organization Programs

 

Cases

 

Banking

 

Recommended Sites

  • Bank for International Settlements site contains some very useful resources. The Publications section provides the full text of many working papers and documents from various committees of the BIS including the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. The site also includes full-text articles from the BIS Review (back to 1997) and a frequently-updated list of links to central banks.
  • Financial Sector - World Bank Group makes a wide range of information on banking and related topics available on its web site. The section on Banking Systems contains many full-text publications and reports from the World Bank, as well as a collection of links. The site and the individual sections are searchable.
  • Hieros Gamos Guide to Banking Law includes banking news, links to international organizations, some foreign banking laws, United States banking laws, and links to other Internet resources.
  • Institute of International Bankers site is worth visiting mainly for its annual Global Survey of Regulatory and Market Developments in banking, securities and insurance covering 46 countries and the EU.

 

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

Government Documents

 

 

 

Commercial Arbitration

 

Recommended Sites

  • Directory of Arbitration Websites and Information on Arbitration
    Available Online, compiled by Rosabel E. Goodman-Everard for the Yearbook of Commercial Arbitration, is a comprehensive list of arbitration treaties and conventions; national arbitration laws; international, regional and national institutes involved in arbitration and ADR; online journals; and other arbitration-related resources.
  • Dispute Settlement (OAS Foreign Trade Information System
    This site provides full-text access to the "'Inventory of Dispute Settlement Mechanisms, Procedures and Legal Texts Established in Existing Trade and Integration Agreements, Treaties and Arrangements in the Hemisphere and in the WTO". It also provides reports from FTA, GATT, NAFTA and the WTO.
  • International Center for Dispute Resolution(American Arbitration Association, AAA)
    A resource that links to rules and regulations, guides and fact sheets on international arbitration.
  • International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
    "ICC activities cover a broad spectrum, from arbitration and dispute resolution to making the case for open trade and the market economy system, business self-regulation, fighting corruption or combating commercial crime." The web site provides access to ICC policy statements covering the broad spectrum of commerce.
  • International Commercial Arbitration (ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law)
    This is a detailed research guide which includes an extensive list of national arbitration laws available on the Internet.
  • International Commercial Arbitration - Locating the Resources (LLRX)
    This is a research guide by Jean Wenger, Government Documents/Foreign & International Law Reference Librarian at Cook County Law Library in Chicago. This comprehensive guide is an excellent starting point.
  • InterArbitration.net (Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw)
    A good current awareness tool featuring links to recent arbitration news and events.

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

Cases

 

International / Regional Institutions

 

 

Corruption

 

Recommended Sites

  • Anti-Corruption Gateway for Europe and Eurasia is a forum for the exchange of ideas on combating corruption in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The Reference Center has country information, an anti-corruption library, a list of international treaties, and more.
  • Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) is an international network of Parliamentarians from over 70 countries in the world, organized by region to build integrity and promote effective governance. The web site provides links to regional chapters. It also provides full-text access to some materials presented at past GOPAC Global Conference. Newsletter is also available on the site.
  • Group of States Against Corruption, Council of Europe (GRECO) Web site provides information about GRECO, GRECO documents, meeting documents, and links to other anti-corruption related web sites.
  • Internet Center for Corruption Research is a joint initiative of the University of Passau and Transparency International. The web site provides, among other things, Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) from 1995 to present.
  • Nathanson Center at York University Osgoode School of Law is a research program on organized crime and corruption. There are topical papers and there is a fully searchable bibliographic database of articles, chapters and other publications, some fulltext publications, research publications.
  • OECD Bribery in International Business web site provides links to publications and documents, and information by country.
  • Transparency International is a non-governmental organization dedicated to increasing government accountability and curbing both international and national corruption. This site includes working papers, corruption indexes & surveys, TI Sourcebook and a searchable bibliographic database of 15,000 documents on corruption & governance. There are also links to national chapters, government inspection sites, and many other useful links.

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

 

Government Documents & International Organization Programs

 

 

Economic Rights

 

Recommended Sites

  • Business and Human Rights website is the single best site on economic rights and related topics. It is an extensive collection of links to websites, articles and organizations related to business and human rights. The links are organized by country, sector, issue, organization, and several other categories. The site is updated frequently, and the links are kept current.
  • Economic, Social and Cultural Rights page on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights website links to documents relevant to economic, social and cultural rights, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, related human rights instruments, and related topics, including extreme poverty, income distribution, and the right to food.
  • PovertyNet is a World Bank web site developed to provide resources on understanding and alleviating poverty. Some of the excellent resources include a library of papers and reports from the World Bank, data on poverty (see the Poverty Monitoring Database), the World Development Report, a web guide, and Voices of the Poor, which consists of three global studies (available in full-text) on poverty and the experiences of 60,000 poor women and men.
  • United Nations Global Compact is a cooperative effort by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations Environmental Programme to encourage corporations to uphold nine principles in the areas of human rights, labor and the environment. The site includes the text of the principles, tools for implementation, and links to other resources such as the ILO's Business and Social Initiatives Database.

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

 

Economics

 

Recommended Sites

  • Country Data (World Bank). The source of this data is from the World Development Indicators database. This site contains statistical information by the following categories: people (population, literacy rate); environment (surface area, electrical power); economy (GDP, exports); technology and infrastructure (telephone, roads) and trade and finance (exports, debt). Select a country or a country group. Also links to many other World Bank specialized data sources.

  • EconLit is an electronic bibliography of economics literature throughout the world published by the American Economic Association. It indexes articles from over 700 journals (including Journal of International Economic Law and World Trade Review) and working papers series. It also abstracts books. Accessible to GULC community only.

  • The Economic Policy Institute is a private think tank that provides research and education to promote prosperous, fair and sustainable economy. There are full text working papers, studies, publications and reports on recently released government economic data. EPI covers such topics as government economic policy, trade and globalization and sustainable economies.
  • EUROSTAT (Statistical Office of European Communities). EUROSTAT is the European network for distributing official statistics, using uniform rules to harmonize statistical data on all European Union Member States. Economic indicators include national accounts, monetary and financial indicators, external trade numbers, prices and producer price indexes, industrial production, and
    unemployment. Available in English, French and German. Searchable.
  • Foreign Trade Statistics (U.S. Census Bureau). Provides links to current trade data, historical data, information on top trading partners, and trade balance by country. This site also provides foreign trade regulations, forms, and classification schedules.
  • Index to Internet Trade Information Sources was developed by the International Trade Centre. The ITC, an agency of the UNDP operated jointly by the WTO and UNCTAD, works with developing countries to set up trade promotion programs. The objective of the Index is to facilitate access to relevant and reliable sources of market information, statistics and legal information on the Internet.
  • The Institute of International Economics is a private research institution devoted to the study of international economic policy. There are full text working papers, policy briefs, testimony, and hot topics. Use the search engines to locate materials on your topic.
  • International Economic Law (ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law), by Jean M. Wenger, provides a detailed guide to researching international economic law.
  • Legal Scholarship Network (Social Science Research Network) LSN seeks to facilitate the distribution of scholarly information related to law to legal, economics, and business scholars and practitioners throughout the world. LSN issues a series of electronic "journals" of abstracts of working papers as well as articles accepted for publication in various areas of law. These abstracts are distributed principally via email, over the Internet, along with weekly announcements. In addition, law school working papers are posted on the LSN web site for downloading in Adobe Acrobat format.
  • Office of Trade & Economic Analysis (ITA, US Dept. of Commerce). This site provides global data links, information on US industry and trade outlooks, US foreign trade data, US industry sector data, trade policy information, and state export data.
  • OECD Statistics. The OECD provides statistics on main economic indicators, economies in transition, labor force, agriculture, national accounts, purchasing power parities, capitol stocks, and international trade in goods and services of member countries.
  • Statistical Data Sources (Michigan State University). Comprehensive collection of links to many statistical data sources on international business and related topics.
  • Trade Statistics (WTO). Includes the International Trade 2003 publication, historical data on merchandise trade, commercial services trade, merchandise exports, and the WTO Annual Reports. Available in English, Spanish and French.
  • United Nations Statistics Division. Contains statistical information on economics, environment, demographics and social indicators. See also InfoNation and Country-at a Glance sites.
  • WebEc (WWW Resources in Economics) arranges economics-related web sites by topic.
  • American Economics Association (AEA)

 

 

Environment

 

Recommended Sites

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

Government Documents & International Organization Programs

 

 

Investment

 

Recommended Sites

  • Global Policy Forum - Multilateral Agreement on Investment page is a comprehensive collection of articles, news and resources on the MAI, most of which are from a critical viewpoint. The Global Policy Forum monitors global policy making at the United Nations. According to the page about the GPF, one of the primary issue areas it addresses is "social and economic policy at the global level (so as to win greater rights and justice and to oppose policies driven largely by private accumulation)."
  • International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) web site provides access to ICSID Convention, Regulations and Rules; some ICSID cases; ICSID documents and publications; bilateral investment treaties; and news from ICSID.
  • International Investment Division Product Guide is a collection of full-text articles and statistics on foreign direct investment from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (U.S. Department of Commerce), including annual and quarterly statistics on U.S. direct investment abroad and foreign direct investment in the U.S.
  • Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) promotes foreign direct investment into developing countries. The web site provides information about the Agency, its services, its projects and policies. It also provide full-text access to some of its reports, and its newsletters - Miga News, IPAnet Briefing, and Investment Promotion Quarterly.
  • OECD International Investment
  • Private Sector Development - World Bank Group offers a variety of resources related to investment, including research and working papers, data and statistics, and links to related sites and organizations.

 

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

 

Government Documents

  • Exon-Florio Provision provides a mechanism to review and, if necessary, restrict FDI in the United States that threatens national security. This page provides an explanation of the provision from the Office of International Investment, Department of the Treasury.

 

Cases

 

Mergers

 

Government Documents

 

Cases

 

 

Taxation

 

Recommended Sites

  • International Tax Dialog (ITD) is a joint initiative by the IMF, OECD and World Bank to share good taxation practices and to facilitate discussion. It offers policy documents, legislation and treaties from participating revenue authorities. Current participants are Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Norway, Chile, France, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain and the OECD.
  • OECD Taxation contains many reports, news articles and statements on various aspects of taxation, including the Model Convention, transfer pricing, corruption, tax statistics, electronic commerce, and harmful tax practices.
  • taxsites.com - International Tax is an excellent comprehensive collection of links to sites in the following areas: foreign tax authorities, IRS resources, OECD resources, and other resources.
  • TaxUp: Global Portal for Tax and Accounting links to tax and accounting sites by country and by topic.

 

Full Text of International Documents

 

 

Trade & Development

 

Recommended Sites

 

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

 

Government Documents

 

 

 

Trade in Services

 

Recommended Sites

  • Global Trade Negotiations is a research program of Harvard’s Center for International Development. Researchers will find a large number of relevant academic papers on every aspect of world trade negotiations and a comprehensive list of research links. Policymakers will find a centralized source for government positions on trade policy and position papers from non-governmental organizations across the globe. There are also issue summaries, links to other trade resources, and a wealth of information on trade negotiations in general.
  • Guide to International Trade Law Sources on the Internet is an excellent starting point for trade-related research.
  • International Trade Web Resources is a searchable database produced by the Federation of International Trade Association. There is an index of more than 2000 links and it includes annotations.
  • Pace University School of Law Database on the Convention for the International Sale of Goods offers comprehensive and in-depth information on the CISG including an annotated text of the code, cases, scholarly materials, and practical information on the application of the convention.

 

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

Government Documents & Statistics

 

Cases

 

Statistics

 

Recommended Sites

  • Country Data (World Bank). The source of this data is from the World Development Indicators database. This site contains statistical information by the following categories: people (population, literacy rate); environment (surface area, electrical power); economy (GDP, exports); technology and infrastructure (telephone, roads) and trade and finance (exports, debt). Select a country or a country group. Also links to many other World Bank specialized data sources.

  • EUROSTAT (Statistical Office of European Communities). EUROSTAT is the European network for distributing official statistics, using uniform rules to harmonize statistical data on all European Union Member States. Economic indicators include national accounts, monetary and financial indicators, external trade numbers, prices and producer price indexes, industrial production, and unemployment. Available in English, French and German. Searchable.
  • Foreign Trade Statistics (U.S. Census Bureau). Provides links to current trade data, historical data, information on top trading partners, and trade balance by country. This site also provides foreign trade regulations, forms, and classification schedules.
  • GlobalEdge Resource Desk (Michigan State University). Comprehensive collection of links to many statistical data sources on international business and related topics.
  • International Statistical Sites (Center for International Development, Harvard University) provides a very comprehensive list of statistical sources available on the Internet.
  • Office of Trade & Economic Analysis (ITA, US Dept. of Commerce). This site provides global data links, information on US industry and trade outlooks, US foreign trade data, US industry sector data, trade policy information, and state export data.
  • OECD Statistics. The OECD provides statistics on main economic indicators, economies in transition, labor force, agriculture, national accounts, purchasing power parities, capitol stocks, and international trade in goods and services of member countries.
  • Trade Statistics (WTO). Includes the International Trade 2000 publication, historical data on merchandise trade, commercial services trade, merchandise exports, and the WTO Annual Reports. Available in English, Spanish and French.
  • United Nations Statistics Division. Contains statistical information on economics, environment, demographics and social indicators. See also InfoNation and Country-at a Glance sites.

 

WTO

 

Recommended Sites

  • World Trade Organization The official site of the WTO offers extensive collection of WTO documentation including legal texts, panel and appellate reports, and much more. Informational emails with WTO news are available to those who register. The Documents Online is a searchable electronic archive of WTO materials.
  • GATT Digital Library: 1947-1994 At present this site provides access to over 30,000 public documents and 200 publications of the GATT. The public documents include reports, studies, and meeting records covering a broad range of topics related to international trade in the post-war period. Each document bears a unique symbol number and the entire collection is searchable by a range of fields including symbol, date, keyword in title, and organization name. The site requires a free registration process to access the full-text PDF materials.
  • WorldTradeLaw.net: The Online Source for World Trade Law provides dispute settlement commentaries for the WTO panel and appellate body reports. Database accessible to Georgetown Law community only.
  • Researching International Trade Law(Georgetown University Law Library) is a guide focusing on both print and electronic resources on international trade law.
  • Hong Kong 2005: A Short Guide to Researching the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference (Georgetown University Law Library) is a guide focusing on the Sixth Ministerial Conference, past Ministerials, and general international trade law research materials.
  • Guidelines for Finding and Citing Paper Sources for GATT/WTO Documents is a guide designed by University of Minnesota Law Library. It explains how to find and cite WTO/GATT documents.
  • Revised Guide to International Trade Law Sources on the Internet (LLRX), by Marci Hoffman, is a detailed guide focusing on sources on the Internet.
  • Bibliography on the World Trade Organization includes bibliographic entries of journal articles, books, book chapters, and documents on WTO-related topics added since the summer of 2003. Some of the materials included are available in full-text. There is also an older bibliography, updated through summer of 2003. The bibliography is maintained by the Peace Palace Library.

  • World Trade Online database is an electronic service providing access to the latest in trade news. The latest issue of Inside U.S. Trade is available with full searching for previous issues back to 1993. The site also boasts of having 25,000 documents and reports from around the world. Database accessible to Georgetown Law community only.

  • World Trade Reporter is a daily publication by BNA on new developments about the WTO. Database accessible to Georgetown Law community only.

  • Institute of International Economics is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution. There are full text working papers, policy briefs, testimony, and hot topics. Search "WTO" in the search engine to retrieve all relevant items. The Areas of Expertise section provides a list of researchers by topic.
  • International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) was established in Geneva in September 1996 to contribute to a better understanding of development and environment concerns in the context of international trade. As an independent non-profit and non-governmental organization, ICTSD engages a broad range of actors in ongoing dialogue about trade and sustainable development.
  • Trade Observatory is a project of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. IATP’s mission is to create environmentally and economically sustainable communities and regions through sound agriculture and trade policy. There are some working papers posted from around the world which offer a countering viewpoint to WTO issues.

 

 

Full Text of International Instruments

 

Government Documents

 

Cases

 


Revised January 2007 (aeb)


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