How Should the WTO Respond to the Data-driven Economy?

Digital services have become an essential part of everyday life — think of the countless Amazon packages delivered and iTunes songs streamed every day. In this essay, Mira Burri considers how data flows associated with the digital economy have radically changed the picture of global trade.

The WTO — and the postwar order of open trade — is seemingly in crisis. Balakrishnan Rajagopal explains how that crisis was induced by the WTO's richest and most powerful member, the United States. 

Governments around the world are pivoting to consider when, how and under what conditions they will ease the lockdowns and reboot their economies. As Dan Ciuriak and Robert Fay write, modelling and expert analysis will play a significant role.

In this video, Henry Gao explains why Western governments are concerned that China — in an effort to achieve incredible growth — employed problematic practices and market manipulations. To help mitigate these concerns, can the WTO create a system that is fair to both China and the rest of the world?

Data protection law can provide a foundation for addressing privacy and surveillance concerns, but, as Amba Kak and Rashida Richardson write, it fails to capture the full spectrum of harms produced by artificial intelligence technologies.

May 7 – 7:00 p.m. EDT (UTC–04:00): In a virtual edition of our community event series, Aaron Shull will lead a discussion on the role think tanks can play during times of global crisis. The event will close with a question period and will be hosted as a Zoom video conference.

May 13 – 8:30 a.m. EDT (UTC–04:00): CIGI is participating in a virtual town hall focused on the unprecedented policy problems and existential challenges brought on by COVID-19. Join us for discussion on a number of topics, including economic recovery, international collaboration and preparing for an uncertain future.