Making and Bending International Rules: The Design of Exceptions and Escape Clauses in Trade Law

by Krzysztof J. Pelc

Overview

All treaties, from human rights to international trade, include formal exceptions that allow governments to legally break the rules that they have committed to, in order to deal with unexpected events. Such institutional 'flexibility' is necessary, yet it raises a tricky theoretical question: how to allow for this necessary flexibility, while preventing its abuse? Krzysztof J. Pelc examines how designers of rules in vastly different settings come upon similar solutions to render treaties resistant to unexpected events. Essential for undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars in political science, economics, and law, the book provides a comprehensive account of the politics of treaty flexibility. Drawing on a wide range of evidence, its multi-disciplinary approach addresses the paradoxes inherent in making and bending international rules.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781316600184
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/28/2018
Pages:	297
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.06(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Krzysztof J. Pelc is William Dawson Scholar and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montréal. His research focusses on the politics of international economic rules and his work has been published in International Organization, the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, World Politics, the International Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the European Journal of International Relations, the British Journal of Political Science, and the Journal of International Economic Law, among others.

Table of Contents

List of tables; Acknowledgements; 1. The 'architectural challenge' of international rules; 2. Theory: the design of flexibility; 3. Flexibility in law: a brief intellectual history; 4. The twin GATT exceptions: fears and solutions; 5. The evolving design of flexibility; 6. The bad news; 7. The good news; 8. Conclusion: escape during the Great Recession and beyond; Bibliography; Index.