This book provides an innovative insight into the regulatory conundrum of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), deploying transnational legal analysis as a methodological framework to explore the most controversial area of risk governance. The book deconstructs hegemonic and counter-hegemonic transnational narratives on the governance of GMO risks, cutting across US law, EU law, the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and hybrid standard-setting regimes. Should uncertain risks be run unless adverse effects have been conclusively established, and should regulators only act where this is cost-benefit effective? Should risk managers make a convincing case that a product or process is safe enough for the relevant uncertain risks to be socially acceptable? How can intractable transnational regulatory conflicts be solved? The book complements a close analysis of regulatory frameworks and case law with a more encompassing perspective on the political, socio-economic and distributional implications of different approaches to the regulation of health and environmental risks at times of globalisation. The GMO deadlock thus becomes a lens through which to investigate the underlying value systems, goals, and impacts of transnational discourses on risk governance. Against this backdrop, the normative strand of analysis points to the limited ability of science and procedural deliberation to generate authentic agreement and to identify normatively legitimate solutions, in the absence of pre-existing shared perspectives.

This book puts the trade war between the United States and China in historical context. Exploring the dynamics of isolation and internal reform from a Chinese perspective, the author draws upon valuable insights from China's years of isolation prior to the famous Nixon-Mao summit. Advocating internal reform as a more productive strategy than conflict with other powers, this powerful argument for globalization with Chinese characteristics will be of interest to scholars of China, economists, and political scientists.

The Encyclopedia is the definitive reference work on international economic law. This comprehensive resource helps redefine the field by presenting international economic law in its broadest, real-world context. Organized thematically rather than alphabetically, the subject is split into four principal sections: the foundations and architecture of international economic law, its principles, its main regulatory areas, and the future challenges that it faces. Comprising over 250 entries written by leading scholars and practitioners, traditional international economic law subject matter is supplemented by coverage of newly developing areas. Thus, the concepts and rules of trade, investment, finance and international tax law are found alongside entries discussing the relationship of international economic law with environmental protection, social standards, development, and human rights. The concise entries present an accessible and condensed overview of each topic within its legal context. Contributors offer insight into how institutions interact with each other and other legal systems, in addition to providing individual overviews of their history, structure, principles and procedures. Selected references follow each entry, suggesting directions for further detailed exploration of the topic. This Encyclopedia is an invaluable resource for both practitioners and academics. It acts as a handy reference to all areas of international economic law, and provides the ideal starting point for any research journey. Key features: valuable reference tool for scholars, students and practitioners organised thematically, covering newly developing areas of international economic law concise, structured entries from the top experts in the field selected references for further study.

This book examines the role of institutions and law on the economic performance of the Ottoman Empire between 1500 and 1800. By focussing on the pre-industrial period, the transition to industrialisation and the mechanisms behind it can be explored. Particular attention is given to the allocation of financial resources towards more productive and efficient economic activities and the role this played in economic divergence among societies. A comparative analysis with European societies highlights the importance of non-economic institutions during the pre-industrial period. This book aims to provide new analytical perspectives and ways of thinking about how the Ottoman Empire lost its powerful economic and political structures. It is relevant to students and researchers interested in economic history, law and economics, and the political economy.

Legal Aspects of the New International Economic Order draws together the results of discussions from the 58th Conference of the International law Association held in Manila in September 1978. Many there, including a number of contributors to this insightful book, felt that proposals for the establishment of a new international economic order bristled with complex legal issues, which merited the serious attention of lawyers. Moved by the conviction that these proposals aimed at restructuring international economic relations and effective a global redistribution of wealth and power, presented a challenge to legal creativity, the Conference adopted a resolution urging the International Law Association to undertake a study of the Legal Aspects of a New International Economic Order. Legal Aspects of the New International Economic Order draws together the papers that came from that study, to offer a fascinating and powerful examination of the legal challenges thrown up by the establishment of this new order.

Mega-regionalism in the Asia Pacific has led to the formation of several emerging trade blocs, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This book, in addition to the examination of trade policies in the region, offers a comprehensive analysis of ongoing developments such as the impact of new members on the incumbent TPP-12 and its spillover to third parties, as well an objective study of the crucial issues of liberalization of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and intellectual property rights. Split into three diverse sections, this book is a joint venture of many outstanding scholars in various disciplines, all with expertise in the Asia Pacific's regional affairs. These contributions provide readers with a rigorous assessment of membership enlargement and sectorial liberalization of the TPP as well as the pathways toward region-wide free trade areas. Editor Peter C.Y. Chow includes both an analysis of the trade policies of China and the US and a discussion of the impact of new members on trade complementarity, global value chains, and the US's trade balance. Detailed studies on the effect of Taiwan's membership on the US economy and industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and service are also explored. This edited volume will attract readers interested in international trade, economic integration, and globalization. Academics and practitioners in geopolitics, geo-economics, and international relations in the Asia Pacific will also be of interest. Contributors include: C. Barfield, T.-J. Cheng, L.-i. Chen Chiu, P.C.Y. Chow, D. Ciuriak, B.-X. Hsu, W.-C. Lee, C.-Y. Liu, A. Somwaru, H. Thompson, F. Tuan, J. Xiao

This authoritative collection brings together major articles written by leading economists, political scientists and legal scholars to analyse the complexities of the modern global system of intellectual property rights (IPRs) and its relationship with the WTO. The papers selected consider the role of IPRs in the knowledge economy, itself a force for rapid globalisation. They first place IPRs into context as a trade issue and their controversial role within the WTO. Several articles analyse the ability of IPRs to encourage innovation and support markets, emphasising controversial problems in developing countries: special attention is given to the role of patents in biodiversity and essential medicines. Additional contributions provide important theoretical and empirical perspectives on the economics of IPRs in the global economy, including effects on trade, investment, innovation, growth, and technology policies. This authoritative volume will be an important source of reference for scholars and policymakers seeking to understand the development and trade impacts of intellectual property protection. 21 articles, dating from 1991 to 2003

The topic of this book is the external action of the EU within international economic law, with a special focus on investment law. The aim of the volume is to provide the reader with an appraisal of the most recent trends and developments that have characterised a field that has been rapidly evolving and in which the EU has imposed itself as a leading actor. The book is aimed at academics, practitioners and graduate students as well as at EU officials and judges, all of whom should find the subject matter discussed useful for keeping updated on a scholarly discussion of relevance to case law. Mads Andenas is Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Oslo in Norway. Luca Pantaleo is Doctor of Law and Senior Lecturer in International and European Law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands. Matthew Happold is Professor of Law at the Universite du Luxembourg in Luxembourg. Cristina Contartese is Lecturer in Law at the European Law and Governance School in Athens, Greece.

This book offers a systematic study of the interpretation of investment-related treaties - primarily bilateral investment treaties, the Energy Charter Treaty, Chapter XI NAFTA as well as relevant parts of Free Trade Agreements. The importance of interpretation in international law cannot be overstated and, indeed, most treaty claims adjudicated before investment arbitral tribunals have raised and continue to raise crucial and often complex issues of interpretation. The interpretation of investment treaties is governed by the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT). The disputes relating to these treaties, however, are rather peculiar as they place multinational companies (or natural person) in opposition to sovereign governments. Fundamental questions dealt with in the study include: Are investment treaties a special category of treaty for the purpose of interpretation? How have the rules on interpretation contained in the VCLT been applied in investment disputes? What are the main problems encountered in investment-related disputes? To what extent are the VCLT rules suited to the interpretation of investment treaties? Have tribunals developed new techniques concerning treaty interpretation? Are these techniques consistent with the VCLT? How can problems relating to interpretation be solved or minimised? How creative have arbitral tribunals been in interpreting investment treaties? Are States capable of keeping effective control over interpretation?

Uniform customs administration is of great importance for the EU and the competitiveness of EU businesses in global trade. However, the EU's so-called executive federalism raises the potential for the non-uniform application of EU customs law. This problem has already arisen in the European Communities - Selected Customs Matters WTO dispute settlement. Therefore, the central research question of this book concerns the challenge presented to executive federalism in the EU Customs Union by the WTO. It also examines those safeguard measures for uniform customs administration which are in operation. Valuable empirical analysis of the decision-making procedures and practices of the national customs authorities allows for the fullest understanding of the operation of the customs administration. An important feature of the exploration is its analysis of the reform of EU customs law and of the effectiveness of the European Union's strategies to enhance uniform customs administration. That analysis helps to identify potential weak points in the decentralised administration of EU customs law and suggests ways in which it might be improved. Scholarly, rigorous and timely, this important study will be required reading for all scholars of EU customs law.

As economic populism and protectionism increasingly threatens the global trade order, this book examines the behavior of World Trade Organization (WTO) members at the judicial arm of the WTO-the dispute settlement mechanism (DSM). The author explores why and when governments cooperate at the WTO and comply with the ruling of its panels, focusing on how the growth of global value chains through the internationalization of trade and production has increased the importance of both trade liberalization and supra-national governance and policy-making. Finding that domestic organized interests-i.e. firms and sectors-mobilize and lobby national governments to change their domestic policies to better harmonize with their international trade commitments, the author outlines how the time it takes to comply with adverse WTO rulings is shorter when the potential domestic costs of non-compliance outweigh protectionist interests. The author's innovative research design highlights the conditions under which the WTO can preserve the rules of international trade and support a more open, global economy.

This book analyses the 2018 Global Compact on Migration and the need for, and difficulties of adopting a multilateral agreement on migration. Particular attention is given to the challenges and constraints involved, given not only the divergent needs and conditions of different counties but also the varying interests of different groups within countries. A synoptic history of previous attempts at reaching a multilateral migration agreement is provided, from 1927 onwards, to give context to the recent negotiations. The lack of a clear recognition of migration as a global process and the absence of a firm commitment to responsibility- sharing arrangements are highlighted. The book explains why the 2018 migration is both a breakthrough and at the same time an opportunity lost. In doing so,] it also analyses the limitations of the present deal, including inadequate attention to the root causes of forced and disruptive migration in origin countries, and highlights how the 2018 agreement can be built upon to create a dynamic harmony in the global migration system. The book will be relevant to researchers and policy makers as well as to professionals and activists concerned with migration, labour economics and international development.

When is international patent law cooperation and harmonization welfare-enhancing? What is the role of international institutions - WIPO and the WTO - in furthering such harmonization? This book explores these questions from a global welfarist, rationalist perspective. It grounds its analysis in innovation theory and a examination of patent law and prosecution, incorporating the uncertainty of patent law's impact on welfare at a detailed level, dynamic changes, the skewed nature of patent value and the difficulty of textually capturing patent concepts. Using tools from new institutional economics, it explores future design implications for international institutions, analyzing grounds for international cooperation as collective action problems and applying historical, political and transaction cost analyses. Academics, students and practitioners interested in international economic law, specifically in respect of patents, innovation and intellectual property, the TRIPs Agreement, the WTO and WIPO will find this book essential. It will also prove insightful for researchers whose primary background is in international relations or international political economy, but are seeking an introduction to the patent and intellectual property field. Contents: Introduction Part I: Welfare-Enhancing Harmonization 1. Domestic Patent Law, Autarchic Analysis 2. The Value of Diversity: Relaxed Autarchy 3. Bases for Harmonization Part II: International Patent Law Institutions 4. History 5. International Patent Cooperation as Collective Action 6. Institutional Analysis: WIPO and the WTO Conclusions and Implications References

This book addresses challenges that new technologies and the big data revolution pose to existing regulatory and legal frameworks. The volume discusses issues such as blockchain and its implications for property transactions and taxes, three (or four) dimensional title registration, land use and urban planning in the age of big data, and the future of property rights in light of these changes. The book brings together an interdisciplinary collection of chapters that revolve around the potential influence of disruptive technologies on existing legal norms and the future development of real estate markets. The book is divided into five parts. Part I presents a survey of the current available research on blockchain and real estate. Part II provides a background on property law for the volume, grounding it in fundamental theory. Part III discusses the changing landscapes of property rights while Part IV debates the potential effects of blockchain on land registration. Finally the book concludes with Part V, which is devoted to new technological applications relevant to real estate. Providing an interdisciplinary perspective on emerging technologies that have the potential to disrupt the real estate industry and the regulation of it, this book will appeal to a broad audience, consisting of scholars, policy-makers, practitioners, and students, interested in real estate, law, economics, blockchain, and technology policy.

This book brings forth the philosophical, conceptual and practical contours of the trade regionalism provisions under the GATT/WTO. It analyses SAARC as the regional integration organisation of South Asia along with identifying major challenges and bottlenecks faced by it in the process of achieving regional integration. It presents ways and methods through which SAARC can be made a more effective regional organisation. The book predominantly focuses on trade regionalism. However, other areas of integration which have impacts on the trade regionalism are also examined like social and political integrations etc. The book takes off from the premise that trade regionalism under SAARC has failed and has been marred by political and security concerns among its member nations. It has failed to achieve its objective on all the three counts, which are promoting peace, development and economic cooperation. However, with the developing countries as members, SAARC has great potential for trade integration. Certain structural, normative and organisation alteration along with favourable ideation can still make SAARC achieve its full potential. The book also deals with the comparative analysis of SAARC regional integration with the regional integration under European Union and ASEAN. Regarding comparative regionalism, the discussion has been confined only to the EU and ASEAN. The EU has been chosen because it is comparatively established as one of the most successful regional organisations in the contemporary world. Whereas, ASEAN has been chosen because of its similarity to the SAARC's economy, society and political structure. The analysis presented in the book is from the perspectives of international law and international relations' theories and practise. This book thus is of particular relevance to the students, researchers, academicians, policymakers and practitioners of international trade law, international relations and South Asian studies.

The ICSID Reports provide the only comprehensive published collection of arbitral awards and decisions given under the auspices of the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes or pursuant to other multilateral or bilateral investment treaties, including in particular the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). These decisions, which are fully indexed, make an important contribution to the growing body of jurisprudence on international investment. The ICSID Reports are an invaluable tool for practitioners and scholars working in the field of international commercial arbitration or advising foreign investors. Volume 15 includes the decision on jurisdiction and award in Duke Energy v. Peru, the decision on jurisdiction over the counterclaim, partial award and Swiss decision in Saluka v. Czech Republic, and the amended ICSID Arbitration Rules and ICSID (Additional Facility) Arbitration Rules that came into effect on 10 April 2006.

Since a reform in 2010, foreign investors can establish a Foreign-Invested Limited Partnership Enterprise (FILPE) in China together with Chinese or foreign investors. The FILPE can be combined with a domestic or foreign corporate general partner, thus allowing for a structure that offers the flexibility and taxation conditions of a partnership while protecting its investors against personal liability like a company. The book explores from the perspective of a foreign investor if the FILPE is an attractive investment vehicle by analysing whether it provides the characteristics that are internationally recognized as constituting a standard corporate form. Among these characteristics, the three that are most strongly interconnected and interdependent form the core of the analysis: legal personality, limited liability and transferable ownership interest. These are analyzed in context of China's restrictive framework of foreign investment regulations and enterprise organization law.

This Research Handbook explores the latest frontiers in services trade by drawing on insights from empirical economics, law and global political economy. The world's foremost experts take stock of the learning done to date in services trade, explore policy questions bedeviling analysts and direct attention to a host of issues, old and new, confronting those interested in the service economy and its rising salience in cross-border exchange. The Research Handbook's 22 chapters shed analytical light on a subject matter whose substantive remit continues to be shaped by rapid evolutions in technology, data gathering, market structures, consumer preferences, approaches to regulation and ongoing shifts in the frontier between the market and the state. Expert contributors explore the subject through a multidisciplinary lens, offering a comprehensive overview of lessons learned over two decades of GATS jurisprudence. The book further chronicles the rising stakes and involvement of developing countries in global services trade, notably their growing insertion in global value chains, as well as the latest advances and remaining challenges in the statistical measurement of trade in services. Academics and experts in the policy research community will find value in this book, as will officials in governmental and international organization circles as well as representatives of service sector industry associations. Contributors include: A. Berry, T. Bohn, T. Broude, M. Burri, R. Chanda, P. Delimatsis, G. Gari, B. Hoekman, G.C. Hufbauer, M. Krajewski, R. Lanz, E. Leroux, J. Magdeleine, A. Maurer, P. Mavroidis, M. Mayakeshi, S. Miroudot, M. Molinuevo, S. Moses, N. Mulder, M. Roy, S. Saez, P. Sauve, B. Shepherd, A. Shingal, S. Stephenson, D. Taglioni, L. Tuthill, E. van de Marel, C. Van Grasstek, N. Ward, J. Wilson

This book observes that an in-depth study exclusively focusing on health service trade not only strengthens the overall services trade capacity of the South Asian region, but also promotes global as well as regional trade. There is a dearth of analytical research on estimating barriers to trade in health services, particularly in the context of South Asia, and as such, this book assesses the potential benefits and economic costs of barriers to trade in health services in select South Asian economies. It also analyzes the impact of liberalization and regulatory reforms on economic welfare. It broadly addresses issues relating to trade in health services, the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services), such as: Why are the current levels of trade in health services low? How will the GATS legally affect a country's health policy? What effect might liberalization have on national health systems? And what are the likely benefits of greater trade in health services? It also provides specific answers to the following questions: Does the substantial role of the government in health - as health service provider, financial supporter, regulator and promoter - have implications for the treatment of the sector under the GATS? What is the impact of liberalization of international trade in health services on the quality and availability of health services in developing SAARC countries? Given the importance of consumption abroad for trade in health services, and the gradual opening of health markets through Modes 1 and 3 (cross-border supply and commercial presence), how can problems associated with trade in these Modes be prevented? And are these problems sufficiently addressed by GATS disciplines? Answers to these questions will be of great use to researchers, policy makers as well as practitioners and NGOs of South Asia.

This book defines oil price as a social institution that exists beyond supply-demand mechanisms. Discussing oil markets in the context of the broader sociology of prices, it covers a number of theoretical and practical dimensions, such as new market uncertainties and trends, and social perceptions of energy security and of power. Further, based on case studies it explores the implications for OPEC, Russia, and Central and Eastern Europe, as well as for the energy transition and for international investment arbitration. Featuring contributions from leading academics, researchers and business professionals, the book offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the oil price. "This book brings together an impressive team of scholars with fresh perspectives on the oil price. Even as the world attempts energy transition, oil consumption continues and the oil price is likely to become even more unpredictable and unclear than in the past. This book helps make sense of this challenging topic." -Indra Overland is a Research Professor and Head of Centre for Energy Research, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) "A revealing and multidimensional analysis of oil price fluctuations in a market that seeks less uncertainty. This book discusses market and price evolution in the context of market theories, history and real-time market analysis. A welcome and timely contribution to our understanding of global energy markets." Dr. Sara Vakhshouri is Founder and President of SVB Energy International and Professor of Energy Security at the Institute of World Politics.

This book examines the impact of EU trade and investment agreements on public services, a topic that continues to be the subject of heated political debate. It surveys a broad range of EU agreements and provides a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of the rules and disciplines of such agreements that can affect the provision of public services. Going beyond the existing literature, it asks whether the treatment of public services in EU trade and investment agreements is coherent with the special status of public services in "internal" EU law, specifically internal market law, while also challenging the notion that trade and investment agreements automatically pose serious threats to public services. The book will be of keen interest to legal scholars and students specialising in EU and/or international economic law together with national and international policy-makers. Luigi F. Pedreschi is affiliated to the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and currently works as a Research Associate at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, also located in Florence.

This book is a pivotal publication that seeks to improve food security in the conditions of escalating protectionism in global agricultural trade. The authors argue that global trade systems have been increasingly distorted by emerging trade tensions between major actors such as the US, China, the EU, and Russia, as well as trade policies in many other countries. In view of the most recent disruption of global food supply chains due to the outbreak of the COVID-19, the book examines the effects of administrative restrictions, tariff escalations, and other forms of protectionism on food security. Over the decades, food security concerns have been emerging, along with the growth of the world population. More than two billion most impoverished people in the world spent up to 70% of their disposable income on food. In 2020, the running pandemic has unraveled accumulated problems. As many countries rely on agricultural imports, lockdowns and disrupted food production and supply chains tremendously threaten food security of those nations. Agricultural trade was already slowing in 2019 before the virus struck, weighed down by trade tensions, and decelerating economic growth. The spread of the virus and strict quarantine measures trigger economic decline that results in food prices rises and volatilities. Due to the pandemic, nearly all regions will suffer double-digit decline in trade volumes 2020. The virus will be defeated, but the effects of the protectionism outbreak would have a much longer-lasting impact on agricultural production, international supply chains, and food security worldwide. In this publication, the authors probe into many of the choices that link national, regional, and global policies extensively with the provision of food security for all in the new era of post-virus global trade. Since studying global agricultural trade has a multinational application, its outcomes might be shared with a broad international network of stakeholders, including research institutions, universities, and individual researches. The book is appropriate for government officials, policymakers, and businesses of many countries. Adaptation of research outcomes and solutions to the situation in particular countries and various collaboration formats will let to increase the visibility of the publication and to elaborate new practices and solutions in the sphere of establishing sustainable food security.

The book focuses on the interactions between international legal regimes related to biodiversity governance. It addresses the systemic challenges by analyzing the legal interactions between international biodiversity law and related international law applicable to economic activities, as well as issues related to the governance of biodiversity based on functional, normative, and geographic dimensions, in order to present a crosscutting, holistic approach. The global COVID-19 pandemic, the imminent revision of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and the Aichi Targets have created the momentum to focus on the interactions between the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international environmental regimes. Firstly, it discusses the principles that inspire biodiversity-related conventional law, the soft law that conveys targets for enforcement of the Biodiversity Convention, their structural, regulatory and implementation gaps, the systemic relations arising from national interests, and the role of scientific advisory bodies in biodiversity-related agreements. The second part then addresses interactions in specific conventional frameworks, such as the law of multilateral trade and global public health, and the participation of communities in the management of genetic resources. Lastly, the third part illustrates these issues using four case studies focusing on the challenges for sustainability and marine biodiversity in small islands, the Arctic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, as a way to strengthen a horizontal and joint approach. The book is primarily intended for academics, researchers, and students interested in international environmental law and policy and in interactions for creating conditions for fair, sustainable, and resilient environmental development. By offering an analysis of instruments and criteria for systemic relations in those areas, it will also appeal to public and private actors at the domestic and international level.

This book presents a comprehensive and systematic study of the principal aspects of the modern law of international commercial transactions. Based on diverse sources, including legislative texts, case law, international conventions, and a variety of soft-law instruments, it highlights key topics such as the international sale of goods, international transport, marine insurance, international finance and payments, electronic commerce, international commercial arbitration, standard trade terms, and international harmonization of trade laws. In focusing on the private law aspects of international trade, the book closely analyzes the relevant statutes, case law and the European Union (EU) and international uniform law instruments like the Rome I Regulation, the UN Convention on the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), UNCITRAL Model Laws; non-legislative instruments including restatements such as the UNIDROIT Principles on International Commercial Contracts, and rules of business practices codified by the ICC such as the Arbitration Rules, UCP 600 and different versions of the INCOTERMS. The book clearly explains the key concepts and nuances of the subject, offering incisive and vivid analyses of the major issues and developments. It also traces the evolution of the law of international trade and explores the connection between the lex mercatoria and the modern law. Comprehensively examining the issue of international harmonization of trade laws from a variety of perspectives, it provides a detailed account of the work of major players in the field, including UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT, ICC, and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Adopting the comparative law method, this book offers a critical analysis of the laws of two key jurisdictions-India and England-in the context of export trade. In order to stimulate discussion on law reform, it explains the similarities and differences not only between laws of the two countries, but also between the laws of India and England on the one hand, and the uniform law instruments on the other. Given its breadth of coverage, this book is a valuable reference resource not only for students in the fields of law, international trade, and commercial law, but also for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

This book offers an in-depth analysis of the function of certification in general and of certification systems in a range of different sectors. The authors examine certification from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint and from the perspectives of different disciplines, including law, economics, management, and the social sciences. They also discuss instruments that help ensure the quality of certification, which can range from public law measures such as accreditation, to private law incentives, to deterrents, such as liability towards victims. Further, they assess the role of competition between certification bodies. Readers will learn the commonalities as well as the necessary distinctions between certification bodies in various fields, which may stem from the different functions they serve. These similarities and differences may also be the result of different types of damage that the certified producer or service provider could potentially cause to individuals or to the public at large. Often, companies use certification bodies as an argument to assure the general public, e.g. regarding the safety of medical products. Closer inspection reveals, however, that sometimes certification bodies themselves lack credibility. The book offers essential information on the benefits and pitfalls associated with certification.