Ripe for reform: UK scrutiny of international trade agreements
Join us for this talk as part of the IIPP Seminar Series, as Emily Jones (Blavatnik School of Government,
University of Oxford) discusses her research and her working paper on the UK’s scrutiny of international trade
agreements.
Ripe for reform: UK scrutiny of international trade agreements
23 Nov 2020, 16:00 – 17:30
Now that the UK has left the EU, the UK government is negotiating trade agreements for the first time in almost 50 years. Contemporary trade agreements have far-reaching policy implications, yet the UK Parliament has few scrutiny powers. Unless changes are made, the UK’s future trade deals will receive less scrutiny than the trade deals the UK entered as a member of the EU.
Emily Jones will present new research that systematically compares parliamentary scrutiny of trade agreements in the UK, United States, European Union, Australia, and Canada. She will explain how and why the US Congress and European Parliament have extensive scrutiny powers, and will contrast these with the much weaker powers of the Westminster-style parliaments of the UK, Australia and Canada. She will examine the extent to which governments involve sub-national governments in negotiations, a pressing issue in the UK. She will also evaluate the arguments for and against greater scrutiny, and identify lessons that the UK can learn from other jurisdictions.
- Discussant: Antonio Andreoni
- Chair: Rainer Kattel
Background material linked to this seminar
GEG working paper for Ripe for reform: UK scrutiny of international trade agreements by Emily Jones and Anna Sands.
Blog post: Parliamentary Scrutiny of Trade Deals: How does the UK Measure Up? by Emily Jones and Anna Sands.
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Emily holds a DPhil in International Political Economy from the University of Oxford, and an MSc (distinction) in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a first-class BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. She previously worked in Ghana's Ministry of Trade and Industry, for Oxfam GB, and for the UK Department for International Development.
Twitter: @EmilyJonesBSG
Email: emily.jones@bsg.ox.ac.uk