In early June 2022, the World Trade Institute organised a doctoral retreat in the Swiss Alps in a remote hotel with a view on the Aletsch Glacier. Over three days, many of the ideas found in this edited volume took shape. PhD students from the University of Bern, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, and the University of Lucerne were organised into interdisciplinary groups tackling different themes. Several experts were invited to share their experiences and challenge conventional (and other) wisdoms. The Spirit of ‘Belalp’ that developed has guided the project ever since. Shortly after, in July 2022, we organised jointly with the Embassy of the United Kingdom (UK) in Switzerland a workshop with additional colleagues and experts to further brainstorm and develop concrete ideas for future preferential trade agreement (PTA) design.
After many more exchanges across teams of authors and the editors, we are very happy to see this collective effort in printed form. We hope that readers will find the various chapters thought-provoking and insightful, in particular for understanding the potential transformation of PTAs going forward and future design options.
This book would not have been possible without the generous support of the UK Embassy in Bern and friends of the World Trade Institute. Special thanks go to Kris Camponi, Joel Plaja, Peter van den Bossche, Victor do Prado, Cédric Dupont, Michael Hahn, Joe Francois, Andrew Lugg, and Sophia Thompson. Finally, we wish to thank Sharon McCann from Cambridge University Press for her excellent guidance throughout the entire process, as well as her support for the World Trade Forum Series.
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