Tuesday through Friday classes have become one blog post! Somehow the postings got away from me, as there has been so much going on. Tuesday we heard from Patrick Low, the head of economic research and statistics at the WTO, and he presented an economic framework with which to analyze the trading system. On Wednesday we heard Joost Pauwelyn of the Graduate Institute discuss the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism. The WTO has power for many reasons, but one important one if that it has a legal way to settle trade disputes among members, and the results have teeth, so to speak. Thursday Prof. Singh discussed Trade and Intellectual Property, bringing a very CCT focus on technology to the discussion, and on Friday Jean Louis Arcand talked about trade, economic growth and development – how development has been taken into account at the WTO and what has been left out.
We always take a short coffee break during the morning lectures, and given the splendid weather this week, we’ve taken our coffee and pastries outside on the patio. The breaks are a great time to speak with the presenters, which many of our students did, as well as enjoy the lakeside views!
enjoying a coffee break during the morning lecture
Afternoon sessions included simulations with Jon Worth, one of the leading EU technology and politics bloggers; a discussion with Philippe Borel of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in Switzerland about perspectives from developing countries, and discussions with Jayashree Watal, a counsellor in the Intellectual Property Division of the WTO and formerly on India’s negotiating team for the TRIPS agreement, and Sergio Balibrea of the director general’s office of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Friday afternoon, we walked up to WIPO for a visit, which included a great discussion with Cathy Jewell of WIPO’s workings and role with respect to other international organizations that deal with IP issues.
at WIPO briefing
WIPO lobby
Prof. Singh went over the research paper expectations after the WIPO meeting, then we met for our Friday evening wine and cheese picnic on the lake shore and watched the sunset behind the mountains. We had a full and exciting first week with a trip to Montreux to follow on Saturday!
Friday evening wine and cheese picnic at lakeside
