Gallagher on Trans-Pacific Partnership
Kevin Gallagher, Associate Professor of Global Development Policy at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, lent his insight into coverage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, a trade deal that would profoundly change the economic balance of the U. S. and Asia.
Gallagher spoke to the Washington Post on May 12 about the deal for their article “Clinton Hedge on Trade Leaves Obama Without Political Cover in Warren Feud.”
From the text of the article:
During the review, which lasted six months, one of the primary disagreements centered on the standard inclusion of a dispute settlement mechanism that allows corporations to sue nation-states over policies that damage their profits. Under the provision, the cases are heard by an international tribunal that rules outside of domestic legal systems.
To the chagrin of the labor representatives, the dispute mechanism provision remained intact during the State Department review after the business representatives on the panel fiercely defended it.
“I had the feeling that we were a box that was just going to be checked off,” said Kevin P. Gallagher, an associate professor at Boston University who participated on the review panel. “It was a multi-stakeholder dialogue in which we did not agree with each other, so they just go with the old model.”
You can read the entire article here.
Gallagher co-directs the Global Economic Governance Initiative and the Global Development Policy Program. Learn more about him here.