Search Results

This chapter traces the history of international investment agreements. The history thus far comprises three separate eras. The first, the colonial era, began in the late 18th century and continued until the end of the Second World War. The second, the postcolonial era, began with the end of the war and continued until approximately 1990, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The third, the global era, began in approximately 1990 and continues to the present.

Geographical isolation refers to the extent to which various boundaries that are concerned with politics, time, distance, and other such aspects isolate particular population centres from one another. This chapter asserts that geographical isolation, technological advances, and various improvements that both social and business organizations have undergone throughout the years, have brought about significant effects in shaping the approach that law adopts in dealing with competition. In doing this, the chapter identifies three major periods that are relevant in the history of competition law. The chapter first demonstrates, during the period of mercantilism, that law's approach was determined by geographical isolation. Secondly, it discusses how, in 19th-century America, the communications and transport revolution initiated the first modern system of competition law. Lastly, in the context of the current global era, the chapter examines the ‘e-revolution’, the transnational nature manifested in various business structures and aspects of trade liberalization.

This chapter offers a message of hope in the face of anxiety and fear by stating that an education devoid of play, wonder, optimism, and curiosity will cultivate dry skepticism at best, and nihilism and despair at worst. Today's youth face an uncertain future: a world with multiple and no longer deniable threats to the environment, new and highly contagious infectious diseases, multiple war fronts, and intractable ethnic conflicts within countries and across regions. The chapter provides a “third option” beyond Dionysian self-indulgence and nihilistic despair; a reminder that human agency is a liberating, life-enhancing force and must be at the core of any socially conscious, responsible educational project in this global era.

The development of foreign direct investment (FDI) protocols reflects an evolutionary progression of thinking on the subject. They are steeped in established international law obligations and evolving treaty commitments. Most FDI progress has been made regionally and bilaterally, with investor protection now commonly addressed in comprehensive regional and bilateral trade agreements, or in stand-alone bilateral investment treaties. Regardless of the type of agreement that embodies them, investment provisions are generally aimed at facilitating the flow of investments between countries and creating standard investor protection protocols. In essence, they seek to imbue certainty and predictability in the FDI decision-making process and limit political interference, albeit selectively. This chapter discusses the history of FDI protocols in four distinct phases: regulation in historical societies, the period of regulation prior to the end of World War II, the period subsequent to that war, and the present global era.

This chapter discusses the recent development of trade shows in the Asia-Pacific region. It shows that the trade show business in the Asia-Pacific region is characterized by heterogeneous structures because of varying dynamics of economic development. Triggered by fast economic growth, China could potentially become a role model in the trade show business and related investments, although local/national specificities need to be considered. The recent dynamics of the Chinese trade show business indicate that Asian exhibition centres and events are in the process of developing into hotspots of knowledge circulation and network building, rather than pure marketplaces for imports, exports, or local/national trade. This could give rise to a new global era of polycentric knowledge creation, characterized by key trade shows in each continent where manufacturers from around the world present innovations that match specific local, national, and/or continental market needs.