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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the cross-fertilization between environmental concerns and trade law, through an analysis of their primary texts and case law, and seek to what extent the concept of sustainable development is, or can be, embodied in such field of law. The question posed is whether the international trade law paradigm is well suited to implement the goals embodied in the concept of sustainable development.

In giving a tentative answer to the said question, also through the analysis of some trade law reform proposals, the author advocates that international trade law and sustainable development not only can have compatible goals but that they are (if not, they shall be) inseparably related to one another, from both an economic policy perspective and a legal standpoint.

The author concludes that the paradigms can be complementary to the extent that international trade law, while preserving a formal legal identity deriving from the current shape of its body of rules, has seen its application supporting and, eventually, giving sustainable development a normative force that it could not have achieved otherwise – and this, on a global and uniform scale. Although it may be contended that, after a preliminary survey of relevant international trade case law, this interaction is still a seed in its infancy and some changes must necessarily occur to make the trade paradigm keener and more effective in supporting environmental protection goals, the author argues that, given the difficulties in obtaining such changes, the existing trade paradigm structure has served (and will serve) sustainable development better than other paradigms, as a vehicle through which such concept can drive nations’ economic development more forcefully.

The paper contains a reasoned survey of the most important case law, outlining the main legal hurdles that the implementation of sustainable development encounters in the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism.

The value of this paper stands in the reasoned approach to the legal issues underlying the matters involved, specifically with respect to the analysis of Article XX GATT. Moreover, it remarks the effects that a developed system like the WTO can have in promoting sustainable development, addressing some of the most recent reform proposals.

The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

This paper aims to focus on the trade effects of outward direct investment in developing countries.

To illustrate the effects, the author analyses it from the efficiency of resource utilization, technological advancement and transaction costs, respectively.

The author concludes that OFDI has a positive effect on trade development in developing countries.

Studying the interactions between FDI and trade, the traditional perspective that the investment can only lead to changes in capital endowment in a country is not perfect. These theories were mainly created and founded in developed countries and aimed only to explain their direct investment behavior. If the perspective is shifted to developing countries, it is found that the effect of FDI not only changes the supply-demand relationship of monetary capital, but also significantly influences division of labor and trade through the change in knowledge-oriented factors. Therefore, incorporating international direct investment as a new variable into contemporary international trade theories will enrich the existing theories, and also be beneficial for the development of integration theory of investment and trade.

Expansion of the consumption of renewable energy is a significant issue for reducing global warming, to cope with climate change and achieve sustainable development. This study aims to examine how research and development expenditure (R&D) affects renewable energy development in developed G-7 countries over the period from 2000 to 2019. Variables of trade liberalization and CO₂ emissions are considered control variables.

This study has adopted a panel quantile regression. The impact of the variables on renewable development has been examined in quantiles of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 0.9. Also, a robust examination is accomplished by applying generalized quantile regression (GQR).

The empirical findings reveal a positive and significant relationship between R&D and the consumption of renewable energy in 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 quantiles. Also, the findings describe that the expansion of trade liberalization and CO₂ emissions can significantly increase the development of renewable energy in G-7 countries. Furthermore, GQR verifies the main outcomes.

These results have very momentous policy consequences for the governments of G-7 countries. Therefore, investment and support for the R&D section to promote the development of renewable energy are recommended.

This paper, in comparison to other research, used panel quantile regression to investigate the impact of factors affecting renewable energy consumption. Also, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has perused the effect of R&D along with trade liberalization and carbon emissions on renewable energy consumption in G-7 countries. Also, in this paper, as a robustness check for panel quantile regression, the GQR has been used.

This study aims to provide time series evidence of the economic growth pattern of Greece and explain the hidden impact of its financial liberalization process since 1960, in terms of the links between trade and gross domestic output.

Using time series data covering the period 1960‐2009, the author estimates a vector error correction model (VECM) in order to analyze the long‐run equilibrium features of proxies for openness and growth in Greece. The author further tests the relationship between financial development and economic growth using the Granger causality hypothesis.

Results from regression estimates find the error correction term (ECT) to be −0.20 for the sampled data. This suggests that there is long‐run convergence among financial development, trade openness and domestic output in Greece. This convergence is expected within an average of five cumulative years. Furthermore, the Granger causality test shows that there is a causal relationship between financial development and economic growth, but that financial development has no causal impact on trade in the case of Greece, which is theoretically unexpected.

The findings from this study are confined to a short sample observation of 50 years, and also to the proxies the study uses to measure openness and economic growth. Alternative measures of openness could be applied to larger sample data for future investigation on this topic.

The author concludes that the financing of economic growth in Greece has not been productive in the industry sector, and that this might have caused the debt crisis of 2009. However, financial development remains the link between trade and growth. When the financial sector is progressive, domestic output increases, and this increase creates production surplus which can be exported.

This paper is of value to the academic audience and policy advisers who are interested in the answer to the question “what went wrong with Greece?” The author uses econometric techniques to prove the inefficiencies of public spending in Greece and the accumulated effects of borrowing to finance growth.

The recent departure of Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) from Fairtrade International is the most seismic event in the fair trade movement in the past decade. This paper aims to analyse recent dynamics between and within multiple fair trade strands and the attendant changes in vision and approach.

The authors use and develop a framework focusing on the relationship between business and development to analyse the dominant narratives and practices of each different strand of fair trade. To unpack the various fair trade narratives, they have conducted a narrative analysis of policy documents and online debates in the wake of the split in the fair trade movement and they draw on recent impact studies.

The politicising narrative in fair trade stresses governance and voice based on clear structures of representation within the standards body, and recognizes the value of development inputs that do not focus solely on technical and quality development, but lead to organisational advocacy and representational capacity of producer organisations and the regional networks. In contrast “pragmatism” focuses more on economic empowerment and using the market to drive change, an approach that is gaining greater traction with the split of FTUSA from FLO, the most prominent body within Fairtrade International.

The analysis raises implications with regards to how impact analysis captures both the pragmatic and politicising narratives.

The paper's originality/value lies in its novel use of narrative analysis and its early analysis of the shifting dynamics within fair trade precipitated by the departure of FTUSA.

Reliance on statistical data on trade and development for Islamic countries cannot forecast the state of the future state of reconstruction of the Muslim World in this field. The limitation here is due to the age‐old debility of the Muslim World to project any significant economic, social and institutional transformation in the light of her own communal interest and self‐reliance. Thus the past economic data on trade and development variables show no pattern of future change. Forecasting with these data simply projects the past state of the Muslim World into the future. For these reasons, a model of reconstruction and transformation of the Muslim World on Islamic grounds necessitates reliance on normative issues. Yet these are issues that are First theoretically modelled and then empirically investigated for viability according to survey data.

At its inception, the Doha Round offered the hope of a more inclusive World Trade Organisation (WTO); one where developing countries in particular envisioned would allow them the policy space to enable their socio‐economic advancement even as they carried out their obligations as Member States of the rules‐based international trade system. While the rewards of this novel development round are awaited, WTO Member States are making a marked shift away from the foundation principles of multilateralism on non‐discriminatory treatment, and pursuing independent trade deals outside the rules. An emerging acceptance of this shift comes with an idea that countries can converge after divergence – that alternatives to multilateralism can still yield agreements that will operate in a multilateral rules‐based framework, post Doha. To this end, this article reviews the challenges facing the Doha negotiations as it pertains to developing country concerns and the shortcomings of the existing development framework. It critically examines the issues arising from the stalemate of the Doha negotiations and the efforts of the international trading system to continue engaging in trade in the face of globalisation, increasing unemployment, decreased wages and living standards in the backdrop of a global recession. It examines the emerging convergence theory which recognises departures from the uniform trading arrangements under multilateralism, without recognising this as a tacit acceptance of a return to protectionism with its consequences. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Reference is made to primary and secondary research material on the subject including WTO rules and agreements.

The article finds that the stalemate in this Doha Round reveals more than just dissatisfaction between Member States on the nature and scope of the rules that must guide their global trading activities. It reveals the fragility of rules and the potential inefficacy of a system that attempts to regulate nebulous activity – trade in the face of divergent needs and concerns.

The research is library/desk based.

This work is an original contribution and is not under consideration elsewhere.

The study aims to complement extant literature by assessing linkages between financial development, external flows and CO₂ emissions in 27 sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2002 to 2018.

The empirical evidence is based on interactive quantile regressions and external flows consist of remittances, foreign aid, trade openness and foreign investment.

The findings show minimum levels of external flows that should be reached in order for the interaction between external flows and financial development to promote environmental sustainability in terms of reducing CO₂ emissions. The minimum thresholds are critical levels of external flows that should be reached before financial development promotes environmental sustainability.

Policy implications – The disclosed external flow (i.e. FDI, foreign aid, trade and remittances) thresholds are actionable policy thresholds that the government can act upon in order to influence environmental sustainability by means of financial development. Theoretical implications – The findings below the external flow thresholds are consistent with the dependency theory in that external flows are harmful to socio-economic progress and environmental sustainability. When external flows are consolidated to the established critical masses or thresholds in the long run, the corresponding findings are in line with the extant neoclassical and endogenous growth theories, not least, because in the long run, external flows are associated with technological progress and adoption of stronger environmental legislation at the domestic level which are worthwhile in promoting environmental performance.

To reach the minimum trade and FDI levels that are worthwhile for the promotion of environmental sustainability, corporations should set targets on exports and imports as well as foreign investment levels that they have to attain in contributing to the national target of external flows needed to reduce CO₂ emissions. Such trade and FDI targets should be set in industries of various economic sectors.

The study complements the extant literature by assessing how external flows interact with financial development to influence CO₂ emissions.