International Trade Policy for Technology Transfers: Legal and Economic Dilemmas on Multilateralism versus Bilateralism

The importance of international technology transfer for economic development can hardly be overstated. But the wide range of interests among developed and developing countries has long been the cause of enormous political obstacles to the conclusion of efficient international agreements dealing with technology transfers.

This book provides a robust guideline to both policymakers and researchers wishing to identify and categorize the factors that influence the process of technology flows across national boundaries, as well as the economic theories and legal arguments that may support a given position in international forums. In particular, the work discusses how certain negotiation strategies may optimally deal with such barriers and lead to more effective institutional arrangements in the current global geography of technological development.

The book features a strong balance between legal and economic theories, ranging from the analysis of judicial cases before the WTO Dispute Settlement System, to the manipulation of complex econometric methods and statistical tools. It covers and attempts to describe almost every relevant legal statute on the subject, thus providing an essential technical tool for decision makers and lawyers working in the field of international technology transfers, as well as to students. Furthermore, given the increasing worldwide attention to the negotiations taking place in the WTO, the book may serve as a valuable source of argumentation for both developed and developing countries in the yet unexplored relationship between foreign investments, technology licensing and international trade.