Globalization and Local Adaptation in International Trade Law

Abstract

The trade principles of Western liberal democracies are at the core of international trade law regimes and standards. Are non-Western societies uniformly adopting international standards, or are they adapting them to local norms and cultural values?

This volume presents a new conceptual approach - the paradigm of selective adaptation -- to explore and explain the reception of international trade law in the Pacific Rim. The book is divided into 3 Parts, which cover: Concepts and Methods; Local Implementation of Global Standards; and Case Studies on Dispute Resolution. It brings together scholars from Australia, Canada, China, and Japan who reveal how the World Trade Organization’s standards are being interpreted - and in some cases disputed - in selected countries. Building on a conceptual discussion of the normative and institutional contexts for international trade law, the authors draw on examples from China, Japan, Thailand, and North America to show that formal acceptance of international trade standards through accession to the World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade does not necessarily lead to uniform enforcement and acceptance at the local level.

Globalization and Local Adaptation in International Trade Law provides compelling evidence that non-uniform compliance will be a legitimate outcome of the globalization of international trade rules.

Keywords: International trade law, Globalization