Guides: International Trade Law Research Guide: Secondary Sources: Treatises & Books

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Getting Started with Secondary Sources

If you are new to international trade law, or are unfamiliar with a particular aspect thereof, start your research with a secondary source. In addition to providing background information, analysis, and commentary, secondary sources can help you to identify relevant primary law materials, including trade agreements and dispute settlement case law. Elsewhere in the research guide, you fill find links to in-depth commentaries on the WTO agreements and information about the negotiating histories of the WTO agreements.

Introductory Resources

Advanced Introduction to International Trade Law
Call Number: K3934 .T722 2020
The second edition of this introductory resource explains the basic structure and principles of international trade law, as developed under the GATT and the WTO, offering a streamlined overview of this notoriously complex area of legal study.
Dictionary of International Trade Law
Call Number: REF K3943 .B488 2012
An essential tool for deciphering the complex jargon of international trade law, this dictionary covers both theoretical concepts and practical terminology. Many entries include explanatory charts, tables, and citations for further research.
International Economic Relations: Cases, Materials and Texts, 6th ed.
Call Number: REF K3943.A58 J3 2013
A leading casebook co-authored by the late John H. Jackson, a longtime GULC faculty member and former director of the Institute for International Economic Law.
International Trade Law, Including Beyond Trump, in a Nutshell
Call Number: K3943 .F64 2021 (Reading Room Study Aids)
This study aid in the popular Nutshell series provides a concise overview of the multilateral system of international trade administered by the World Trade Organization, along with a concluding chapter on potential changes to that system in the wake of the Trump administration.
International Trade Law Including the WTO, Technology Transfers, and Import/Export/Customs Law
Call Number: K3943 .F645 2018 (Reading Room Study Aids)
This hornbook provides an introduction to the multilateral trading system governed by the WTO. It also covers U.S. trade policy and customs law, NAFTA, and the European Union.
Principles of Free Trade Agreements: From GATT 1947 to NAFTA Renegotiated 2018
Call Number: K4600 .F65 2019 Electronic
This hornbook traces the origins of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and customs unions, which are permitted under Article 24 of the 1947 GATT. It also examines the proliferation FTAs in recent decades and how they have increasingly come to dominate global trade.
World Trade Organization: Law, Economics, and Politics
Call Number: REF K4610 .H64 2016
Provides an accessible overview of the WTO's history, structure, policies, and future. It also addresses the criticisms of the WTO and assesses their validity.

In-Depth Resources: Treatises & Practice Guides

International Trade Law, 6th ed.
Call Number: K3842 .C37 2018
This accessible resource guides users through the complexities of international sales transactions with informed analysis of case law, national legislation, international conventions (treaties), and rules. Includes suggestions for further reading and references to relevant online resources.
The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization, 3rd ed.
Call Number: K4610 .B67 2013
This leading textbook covers both the institutional structure and the substantive law of the WTO, with chapters devoted to tariff and non-tariff barriers, dumping, subsidies, technical barriers, and intellectual property, among other topics. Each chapter concludes with a detailed summary and a role-playing exercise based on a real-world trade dispute.
The Oxford Handbook of International Trade Law
Call Number: REF K1005 .O94 2009 Electronic
In addition to covering the economic and institutional framework of the world trading system, the substantive law of the WTO, and its dispute settlement mechanism, this resource places trade law in broader context by examining the interplay between it and other fields of international law.
The Oxford Handbook on the World Trade Organization
Call Number: K4610 .O94 2012
Written by an interdisciplinary team of legal practitioners, economists, historians, and political scientists, this resource seeks to provide a holistic understanding of how the WTO operates, taking into account ongoing policy debates and controversies.
The Regulation of International Trade, 4th ed.
Call Number: K3943 .T72 2013
ISBN: 9780415610902
The fourth edition of this comprehensive guide provides critical analysis of the institutions and agreements that govern international trade, along with coverage of emerging issues, such as trade in services, protections for intellectual property, the enforcement of labor standards, and the impact of trade on the environment.
The World Trade Organization: Law, Practice & Policy, 3rd ed.
Call Number: INTL K4610.A31994 M38 2015
The authors of this in-depth study describe the origins of the WTO and its sources of law, the interplay between WTO law and domestic law, and the mechanisms for dispute settlement. The remainder of the book is devoted to narrower topics, including anti-dumping measures, subsidies and countervailing duties, technical barriers, national security export controls, government procurement, trade in services and intellectual property, among many others.

How to Find Books on Int'l Trade Law

The Georgetown Law Library maintains an extensive collection of books and other materials on international trade law. To locate these items, use the Advanced Search and select Law Library Catalog.

To search by keyword, enter your search terms in the box using the default Any Field setting. For a narrower search, use the menu to select Title as the search field. Or search by Subject using one of the following subject headings:

For greater precision, search for a subject heading in the first line and use the remaining lines to search for additional terms by keyword or by title. Be sure to select the appropriate search field in each line.

Feel free to browse for additional materials on the fifth floor of the Williams Library in these call number ranges K3842 to K3843, K3943 to K3973, and K4600 to K4640.