Cross-border direct investment constitutes a substantial sector of the international financial market and is also an important vehicle for the transfer of technology and the modernisation of national economies. In recent years, international arbitration has gained a prominent role as a means of settlement of foreign investment disputes. The number and size of investment disputes under arbitration have risen significantly due to the growing number of bilateral investment treaties and increased use of arbitration under multilateral investment treaties. Arbitrating such disputes requires...

In the World Trade Organization regime, government procurement is largely excluded from the multilateral agreements. The "plurilateral" WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, with its challenging accession procedures and limited number of signatories, cannot be said to succeed in its efforts to liberalize this area of trade activityandndash;more than 10 percent of gross domestic product in most countries. This insightful and thoroughly researched study investigates the special sensitivities of government procurement that have left major trade barriers intact despite the WTO mandate that has...