Policy Analysis

To put it simply, this is a space for our policy experts to wonk out—after all, some issues can only be tackled with technical expertise on niche subjects. IISD's team understands the importance of effective commentary and the ways in which it can lead to transformative policy change in the real world. 

Highlights

Why the scope of ‘taxes covered’ will determine the success of the UN Framework Convention’s Services Protocol.

This article analyzes the UNFCITC draft protocol on cross-border services and its ambitious proposal to cover digital service taxes and quasi-income levies.

Policy Analysis

August 4, 2026

Strait of Hormuz Closure: Implications for African trade resilience

David Beer explores how the crisis in the Middle East is impacting African supply chains, while considering how the continent could turn this disruption into lasting gains for regional trade.

Policy Analysis

July 31, 2026

How the Hormuz Blockade Hit Asia

William George and Lynn Hughes assess how China, Japan, and Vietnam are navigating the fallout of the Strait of Hormuz closure and what it reveals about the state of energy security across Asia.

Policy Analysis

July 31, 2026

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Showing 11-20 of 435 results

International Conversations on Trade and Climate: From the WTO to the UNFCCC

Ieva Baršauskaitė and Antoine Bonnet examine recent WTO and COP 30 discussions, including work in the Committee on Trade and Environment and the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions, showing how MC14 can consolidate these debates and guide the next steps for multilateral cooperation.
Policy Analysis February 24, 2026

The WTO Investment Facilitation Agreement in the Run-Up to MC14

The potential incorporation of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement into the WTO framework is a key issue at MC14. Rashmi Jose explores its investment facilitation commitments, capacity-building provisions for developing countries, and the debates over its legal and plurilateral status.
Policy Analysis February 18, 2026

E-Commerce at the WTO: Can members find common ground at MC14?

E-commerce is central to global trade, but WTO members remain divided on digital trade rules. Rashid S. Kaukab explores debates over the moratorium on customs duties, the WPEC, and the potential incorporation of the JSI Agreement at MC14, with implications for developing countries.
Policy Analysis February 18, 2026

Rethinking Industrial Policy for the Services Economy

Pierre Sauvé explores what industrial policy looks like in a services-driven economy, highlighting the need for policies that create the conditions for services to flourish and drive growth across the entire economy.
Policy Analysis December 8, 2025

Nepal’s Textiles and Clothing Exports

As Nepal approaches graduation from least-developed country status, Paras Kharel, Kshitiz Dahal, and Dikshya Singh explore the challenges facing the country’s textiles and clothing sector and outline the policy shifts needed to preserve its competitiveness.
Policy Analysis December 8, 2025

Agriculture and the Green Transition

David Laborde examines how industrial policy can draw on agriculture’s long history of state intervention and how emerging green industrial strategies are poised to reshape agriculture in return.
Policy Analysis December 8, 2025