Economic Law and Policy

How Could China’s New Foreign Investment Law Impact Trade Debate?

Sustainability and Second Life: The case for cobalt and lithium recycling

Touring Agricultural Investment Projects

About Economic Law and Policy

Our experts focus on areas of economic policy-making essential to sustainable development, including investment, trade, public procurement, infrastructure financing, and sustainability standards.

Our sector-specific work focuses on agriculture and mining in developing countries, given the urgency of the reforms needed and the impact on sustainable development.

IISD also serves as the secretariat to the Intergovermental Forum on Mining, Minerals Metals and Sustainable Development, a member-driven organization providing governments the opportunity to work collectively to achieve their sustainable mining goals.

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Blog

Blog

Deep dive into fisheries subsidies, part 1: Senegal and the suffering sardinella

Overfishing has reached alarming proportions in West Africa, affecting the local economy, culture and people's daily lives. How can a WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies help?
Commentary

Commentary

Can Responsible Contracts Help Improve Farmer Incomes and Productivity?

This commentary explores some of the issues raised by rice farmers from the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan; coffee farmers from Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and Vietnam; and sugarcane and fruit growers from Cambodia during a workshop held in late October 2019.
Report

Report

Global Market Report: Cocoa

Western Europe and developing economies in Asia are driving demand for cocoa but farm risks may affect supply in the long-term
Blog

Blog

Modernizing the Energy Charter Treaty: A make-or-break moment for sustainable, climate-friendly energy policy

The stated goal of the Energy Charter Treaty is to foster cooperation in the energy sector, but it's creating more problems than it's solving.
Discussion Paper

Discussion Paper

IGF Case Study: Automation and Water-Saving Technologies

These case studies highlight the key emerging technologies that are being rolled out in the mining sector and their potential impacts on mining-rich countries. Case studies based on innovations in Australia, Mali and South Africa, focusing on two different types of technologies (namely automation and water-saving technologies) illustrate what the possible impacts could be and how governments are responding to those challenges.
Discussion Paper

Discussion Paper

IGF Case Study: Skills Building for Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining

Women play a crucial role in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While their challenges in the sector have been studied extensively, increased effort is needed to create a more widespread understanding of their importance to ASM.
Report

Report

The State of Sustainable Markets 2019: Statistics and emerging trends

This joint publication by ITC, IISD and FiBL provides comprehensive data on the sustainability standards being used for the production of various commodities, including banana, cocoa, coffee, cotton, oil palm, soybean, sugarcane, tea and forestry products.
Best Practices

Best Practices

IISD Best Practices Series: Compensation Under Investment Treaties (Advance Draft)

This advance draft of the latest IISD Best Practices Series paper focuses specifically on the awards seen in various investment treaty arbitration cases, how they are determined and what can be learned going forward. Please note that this paper will be updated following comments.