LAW10698 - International Trade and Development Law (2019)

Not currently available in 2019

Addresses the evolution of the legal regimes in international trade and development. Examines the basic legal structure of World Trade Organization (WTO), including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and other agreements, and will consider the development of regional trade agreements, including the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the USA-Australian free trade agreement. Students will consider dispute settlement mechanisms under these regimes. The course will also examine the legal structures of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Students will consider financial market, policy and legal changes that have altered the mandate and effectiveness of these institutions in recent decades.

1. The breakdown of trade during the Great Depression, the instability of currencies, social and political unrest, and war.
2. Rebuilding the international trading system at the end of World War Two; the creation of the IMF, the World Bank, the GATT system and the Marshall Plan.
3. The golden years of post-war prosperity, and decolonisation of the Third World.
4. Proposals for a New International Economic Order, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
5. The rise of the Washington Consensus and the hegemony of the dollar.
6. The Roaring 1990s and aftermath: trade liberalisation, the World Trade Organization and the rise of China;
7. the rise of regional trading blocs, NAFTA and the European Union;
8. the USA-Australian free trade agreement;
9. the rise of hot money portfolio capital flows and the instability of global finance.
10. The crash of 2008 and the crisis in global trade and finance.

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.