Fair and sustainable trade and the evolution of trade agreements

In recent years states have increased efforts to increase the sustainability of trade and supply chains. A number of initiatives, including developed states’ demands for transparency and traceability in supply chains, due diligence, corporate social responsibility, combined with the development of technological and big data solutions that can facilitate corporate compliance with these requirements, are leading to changes in practices on the ground. Simultaneously, more and more trade agreements include chapters on sustainability and on environment and climate change. These chapters have been criticised for their inability to engender practical changes on the ground. However, in many instances the aims of these chapters relate to longer-term changes through collaboration and socialisation. This project aims to consider the implementation of environment and climate change provisions in trade agreements to consider the longer-term implications of these chapters as part of the panoply of tools to implement environmental and climate commitments globally. This will be a comparative project analysing various agreements and will broadly entail policy analysis, documentary analysis and interviews.

If you are interested in other aspects of international trade agreements (especially social elements like labour rights, gender, or the extension of norms and regulations) feel free to contact me.

Please note that this is a suggestion only, applicants will have to produce a full research proposal (based on their own research interests) that will compete against other applications for competitive funding. 

Application criteria

Applicants should hold, or expect to receive, a First or high Upper Second Class UK Honours degree (or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK) in a relevant subject. Applicants applying for a +3 award should hold, or expect to receive, a relevant Master’s level qualification.

Full details on how to apply can be found here:

https://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/find-funding-for-doctoral-research/