International Trade Policy
The SRC flagship programme offers a globally relevant and recognized programme rooted in Caribbean and small states realities. The programme is offered both as a Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree and a post-graduate diploma awarded by the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. The MITP/PGITP Coordinator is Dr. Jan Yves Remy, current SRC Director. The MITP/PGITP Administrator is Mrs. Desiree Evelyn.
The Masters in International Trade Policy Programme is a 12-month full-time course that emphasizes critical thinking on trade policy matters, taught by a unique blend of regional and international scholars, professionals and practitioners. It also engages participants in interactive learning scenarios that emulate the world of advocacy, negotiations and trade diplomacy.
The SRC also offers a Postgraduate Diploma in International Trade Policy – a four-month course of study that allows students to cover core courses in international trade policy in one semester.
For those not in Barbados there are limited spaces available for remote classes so please sign up today!
Persons are also permitted to take individual courses on an ad hoc basis. For further information, please contact our MITP/PGITP administrator. Download our MITP/PGITP brochure by clicking the image below:
Why you should enroll with us
- Courses are tailor-made for the student who wants to acquire multi-disciplinary expertise in regional and international trade policy and business, with a specific emphasis on the perspective of small states
- The Masters Course has been running for 15 years and has generated a well-connected alumni network of over 180 persons, including many of the region’s TOP regional trade professionals
- Every year, we do a Study Tour to Geneva, Switzerland where we meet Caribbean and international trade experts and visit the major international trade institutions where trade is taking place!
- Our teaching faculty comprises trade professionals drawn from the region and internationally, who have academic, government and business backgrounds in trade.
- Following the course, we assist in finding you internships in regional and international trade organizations.
Joint University Study Tour (JUST)
The Joint University Study Tour (JUST) is an immersive week where a selection of students visit major Trade actors in Geneva, attend seminars and events related to the topic, and have the opportunity to shadow trade delegates.
The tour is organised together with universities from around the world which gives participating students an opportunity to meet peers from around the world.
Qualifications Required
- A Lower Second Class Honours degree or equivalent in fields such as Economics, International Relations, Political Science, International Business, Management, Statistical Analysis, Law, Agriculture Development or related fields.
- Candidates with Pass degrees in the aforementioned fields, who have other relevant qualifications and/or at least five (5) years’ experience in relevant fields of work (e.g. Trade Policy, Law, Economics, Foreign Policy, Agricultural Development Policy, Business and Investment Facilitation, Export Development, Standards and Quality Infrastructure, Port and Maritime Operations, Statistics, Customs and Trade Facilitation, etc.) will be considered for entry on a case by case basis.
About the Masters in International Trade Policy Programme (MITP)
The MITP is taught over the course of 12 months. The MITP has both a theoretical and practical component.
Theoretical Component: For the first 6 months (conducted over the course of Semester I and Semester II), students learn about the theories and substantive scope of trade rules from a multi-disciplinary perspective of law, politics and economics. While a global perspective is provided, the added value of the programme is to provide a uniquely Caribbean perspective that students will find nowhere else and will afford them an opportunity to begin thinking about Caribbean responses to global problems and issues.
Practical Component: The practical component includes a two-week study tour in a city or region of particular trade interest for the region (currently, the Study Tour has been confined to Geneva) and then undertake a three-month practical attachment to a national, regional or international institution or company with a trade or trade-related function.
Semester I covers the “core” courses. In Semester II, students must undertake a supervised Research paper; and choose four courses from a variety of electives. At the end of Semester II, students participate in the Study Tour; and complete a three-month internship at a trade/related organization or business.
About the Post-Graduate Diploma in International Trade Policy Programme (PGITP)
The SRC is proud to also offer a PGITP for those students who only wish to complete the core courses offered in Semester I. This PGITP caters to the student who does not have the time to complete a Masters in one academic year and who may opt at a later date to attain a full Masters by selecting courses over a longer period time. It also caters to the student who simply wishes a post-graduate diploma in international trade policy.
Core Courses
Our core courses are offered in Semester I for our Master in International Trade Policy (MITP) and Postgraduate in International Trade Policy (PGITP) students. Please click on the course to access the course description.
Semester I (for MITP and PGITP)
INTR 6002: International Trade Theory and Policy
Course Description
The course covers international trade theory (classical, neoclassical and modern) and then proceeds to the study of international trade policy. The special issue of trade among developing countries is handled as a substantive portion of the course. The course maintains a perspective on the Caribbean.
The course will be taught in two main modules:
- Module A introduces students to the basic concepts and theories of international trade. It focuses on comparative advantage; the conditions under which mutually beneficial trade can occur between nations and offers explanations as to how such conditions might arise.
- Module B deals with international trade or commercial policies. It examines tariffs, the most important of the trade restrictions historically, extends the discussion to other trade restrictions, evaluates the justification usually given for trade restrictions, and summarises their history. It also deals with economic integration.
MITP Faculty Member
ALLEYNE, Antonio (Dr) – Lecturer in Economics, Department of Economics, UWI Cave Hill
INTR 6003: Research and Quantitative Methods for Trade Policy
Course Description
This course addresses the theoretical, ethical, and practical issues that arise in the conduct of qualitative and quantitative research. This course is designed for graduate students with an interest in international trade policy and some of the various quantitative methods available to facilitate detailed analysis. It emphasizes areas such as sources and understanding of trade and other economic data, descriptive statistics for summarising and recounting data, index numbers, regression analysis, partial and general equilibrium analysis, games theory, and measures of competition and protection.
MITP Faculty Member
HOPE, Kevin (Mr) – Executive Director, St. Kitts and Nevis Chambers of Industry and Commerce
SKEETE, Kai-Ann (Dr) – SRC Trade Research Fellow
INTR 6005: Globalization and Global Governance
Course Description
This course explores the complex dynamics of globalization and global governance, with a focus on investment, trade, development, security, and financial stability. Through a critical analysis of the role of global institutions such as the Bretton Woods system, the course explores the effectiveness and accountability of global governance in addressing transnational challenges such as climate change, income inequality, financial speculation, and the COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues. The course also considers the role of emerging powers such as China and their impact on international development. The course develops a comprehensive understanding of the historical and current structures of global governance and their impact on international trade policy.
MITP Faculty Member
MARSHALL, Don (Prof) – Director, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), The UWI Cave Hill
INTR 6006: Introduction to International Trade and Investment Law
Course Description
This course covers the key obligations, principles, structure, and design of international trade regimes, specifically the WTO and related free trade agreements, including those to which CARICOM Member States are party. The course will cover the main principles appearing in the WTO Agreements, as well as the main subject areas in trade agreements, including goods, services, intellectual property, and trade remedies. The course will also introduce regional trade agreements, including the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, and examine the relationship between these agreements and the multilateral trading system.
In addition to international trade, the course covers the key obligations and principles under international investment agreements and provides a comparative review of the principles under these agreements. The course will also cover the dispute settlement regimes under the various international investment agreements, allowing for a comparison across agreements. Finally, the course will provide an avenue for reviewing contemporary issues in international economic law, such as the growth of free trade agreements and their impact on multilateralism, WTO reform, and reform of investor-state dispute settlement.
MITP Faculty Member
ALLEYNE, Sanya (Ms) – Regional Coordinator (Trade Adviser) GIZ Part-Time Lecturer
KUGLER, Kholofelo (Mrs) – International Trade Lawyer
ONONAIWU, Chantal (Dr) – Trade Policy & Legal Specialist, Office of Trade Negotiations, CARICOM Secretariat
REMY, Jan Yves (Dr) – SRC Director
INTR 6113: Trade Aspects of Regional Integration: CARICOM and the CSME
Course Description
This course combines theoretical perspectives and practical case studies to analyse regional integration as a developmental strategy. The course consists of three parts. Part I examines various theoretical perspectives of regional integration and development. This section also focuses on multilateralism and Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs). Questions to be considered include: What is the relationship between regionalism and multilateralism? Are RTAs stepping stones or stumbling blocks to global trade? What are the advantages and drawbacks of overlapping memberships in RTAs? Part II examines various case studies to evaluate the implications of regional integration for development. The final part of the course – Part III – delves into the legal provisions of the OECS and CARICOM to see how the theoretical models of integration across the Caribbean region meet the economic and development objectives of each sub-regional community.
MITP Faculty Member
REMY, Jan Yves (Dr) – SRC Director
SKEETE, Kai-Ann (Dr) – SRC Trade Research Fellow
INTR 6118: Contemporary Caribbean Trade Policy
Course Description
This core course of the MITP programme introduces both the theoretical and practical dimensions of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS)’s historical and contemporary participation in the Global Political Economy (GPE) more broadly, and in the rules-based multilateral trading system (MTS) more specifically. The course also explores options for recovery, structural reform, diversification and competitiveness, including foreign direct investment (FDI), MSMEs, industrial policy, diaspora engagement and economic diplomacy in repositioning Caribbean countries for sustainable export-led growth and development.
MITP Faculty Member
NICHOLLS, Alicia (Miss) – SRC Junior Research Fellow
Practical Skills for the Trade Practitioner (not for credit)
Course Description
This course outlines the key steps and processes involved in crafting technical papers, literature reviews, speeches and presentations. The course focuses on developing students’ core capabilities in technical writing, advising, researching, and public speaking. The course is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, thereby creating well-rounded graduates who can operate across multiple dimensions ranging from the public to the private sector to civil society.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Write a position paper
- Make a presentation
- Draft a Ministerial Speech
- Formulate a Strategy Paper
- Understand the policy cycle
- Build a coalition among willing countries
- Conduct a Geopolitical Analysis
- Analyse Country Trade Plans
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Using Databases
This course is NOT FOR CREDIT.
MITP Faculty Member
NICHOLLS, Alicia (Miss) – SRC Junior Research Fellow
BRATHWAITE, Chelcee (Mrs) – SRC Trade Research Assistant
SKEETE, Kai-Ann (Dr) – SRC Trade Research Fellow
Semester II (for MITP only)
Requirements:
- 4 Electives
- Research Paper
- Study Tour
- 3-month Internship
Elective Courses
Our elective courses are offered in Semester II. Please click on the course to access the course description.
Elective courses are offered in Semester II.
LAW 3375: International Trade Law Clinic
Course Description
This course/clinic offers a unique opportunity to thoroughly analyse trade law and jurisprudence through a combination of practice and theory. It addresses specific legal questions related to trade law coming from real clients.
Specifically, it facilitates working in small groups (“Project Teams”) and under the close supervision of one or more Professors/Lecturers (“Academic Supervisors”) and invited experts (“Mentors”) on specific legal questions related to international trade law coming from “real clients” (“Beneficiaries”) such as international organisations, governments, SMEs or NGOs. In addition, introductory sessions by Mentors will be held to provide substantive background to the respective topics, as well as skills sessions to improve legal writing and oral presentation skills.
This course will be useful to the students who would like to gain practical experience in international trade law, while at the same time enhance their substantive legal knowledge. It will also be useful to introduce students to career opportunities in international trade law by allowing them to interact with beneficiaries and mentors working in the trade law field and exposing them first-hand to the practice of international trade law in the Caribbean and around the world.
INTR 6007: Introduction to Negotiations and Advocacy
Course Description
The module is designed to be an intensive practical workshop to assist students to develop negotiating skills in the international trading arena. The goal of this course is to provide students with grounding in the fundamentals of interest-based negotiation principles and techniques. A collateral goal is to provide students with exposure to negotiation, mediation, and WTO dispute resolution scenarios that will provide a basis of understanding of government and private sector interests, roles, and practical techniques in trade negotiations.
At the completion of this course students should have learned:
- What are the elements that constitute a successful negotiating strategy?
- What factors have to be considered in designing a strategy?
- The differences between a zero-sum type of negotiation as opposed to an interest-based or mutual-gains negotiation?
- What is different about rule-making negotiations?
Learning exercises will include simulations of bilateral and multilateral negotiations.
Assessment will be based on performance in the simulations and on an evaluation of their course journal recording the analysis of negotiating issues assigned in class and the preparation of class simulations of negotiations, dispute settlement and press conferences.
MITP Faculty Member
FRANCIS, Allyson (Ms) – Services Special, Caribbean Export Part-Time Lecturer
INTR 6012: Public Procurement: Challenges and Opportunities for the Caribbean
Course Description
The course introduces the issues of relevance to the conduct of public procurement, which accounts for some 30% of GDP in the Caribbean.
It discusses how procurement can be used to promote sustainable economic and social development, as well as safeguard the environment, while ensuring transparency, competition and integrity in the award of public contracts.
The course covers the full procurement cycle as well as recent innovations in procurement policy, such as public private partnerships and e-procurement. The regional and international trade dimensions of procurement policy are also covered. These modern public procurement strategies are generally addressed as they apply in international best practice, as well as examination and analyses of their suitability/adaptability to the Caribbean context.
The entire course is grounded in the specific conditions in small, developing and vulnerable economies, as the relevance of the broader canon of literature of public procurement, which has a larger developed economy context will be interpreted in the Caribbean context.
INTR 6111: Business, Government and International Economy
Course Description
This highly practical and interactive course examines the trends affecting domestic and cross-border State-business relations, utilizing specific cases to explain key concepts. This course explores countries’ national differences in their political and economic systems and what this means for firms, contending theories of competitiveness, patterns of production in the global economy, market entry strategy, international business ethics, and culture and global financial regulation. The course will be taught through a variety of methods, including lectures, in-class discussions and debates, case studies and multimedia presentations. This course is highly interactive and students are strongly encouraged to complete the assigned readings and to keep abreast with local, regional and international business news.
INTR 6112: Trade in Goods – Market Access
Course Description
This course introduces the substantive provisions of trade law relating to market access for trade in goods. It will examine in detail the various types of NTMs applied by states and examine some of the difficulties posed in assessing their impact on trade relative to the use of tariffs. The course focuses on the technical aspects of market access such as tariffs, non-tariff measures, and rules of origin.
MITP Faculty Member
ATKINS, Vincent (Mr) – Former Trade Policy and Technical Advisor to CARICOM LDCS, Office of Trade Negotiations, CARICOM Secretariat
INTR 6114: Advanced Trade in Services
Course Description
This course introduces the rules based system governing international trade in services, the ongoing negotiations for greater liberalization of depth and scope of services at the multilateral, regional and bilateral levels as well as recent development and trends shaping the landscape for traded services.
Specific comparative analysis will be made to the negotiation, formulation and operation of the rules governing services in various fora. Attention would be paid to powerful influences on patterns of trade. This would include rapid technological advances that propel the rise of servicification, global value chains as well as international organisations and groupings such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU).
MITP Faculty Member
MAPP, Julie (Ms) – Economist, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Barbados)
INTR 6115: E-commerce and the Digital Economy
Course Description
This course considers the evolution of e-commerce and the growth of the digital economy, assessing the existing and emerging trade rules relating to e-commerce and considers some of the major issues, opportunities, and challenges as they relate to the Caribbean and other country settings. Included here will be assessments of the definitional issues, infrastructural and legal requirements, connection to other trade-related disciplines such as intellectual property rights and competition policy as well as the types of strategies select countries are currently pursuing with respect to creating an enabling environment for e-commerce.
The course will also address how e-commerce has been treated under bilateral, regional, multilateral and plurilateral trade agreements, negotiations and frameworks. There will also be special emphasis on the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on the trade-related aspects of e-commerce currently being negotiated by a subset of World Trade Organization (WTO) Members.
MITP Faculty Member
BRATHWAITE, Chelcee (Mrs) – SRC Trade Research Assistant
RICHARDS, Joel (Mr) – Senior Technical Specialist, Permanent Delegation of the OECS to the WTO
INTR 6116: Competition Law and International Trade Policy
Course Description
The course introduces the substantive provisions of competition law, the methodology of investigation and enforcement; case law from various jurisdictions, including the USA, Europe, South Africa, Jamaica and Barbados among others, is used to reinforce understanding of the law, and to illustrate differences in substance and interpretations across jurisdictions. The lack of competition law at the international level, the difficulties of young competition authorities to have any clout in the international arena, and the specific ways of dealing with cross border anti-competitive conduct are discussed. In particular, competition provisions in regional and bi-lateral trade agreements, and in bi-lateral cooperation agreements are examined with the aim of preparing students for negotiating such agreements. Finally, voluntary cooperation modalities are reviewed, as they are the most successful way of diffusing conflicts over cross-border anticompetitive conducts, and also, helping young competition authorities.
MITP Faculty Member
STEWART, Taimoon (Dr) – Consultant in International Trade and Competition Law & Policy
INTR 6119: Gender, Globalisation and Trade
Course Description
This course focuses on the role of women in international trade and provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities faced by women with special attention to the women in the Caribbean. The course introduces the concepts and definitions of feminism, gender, and gender policies; provides an overview of the numbers and the impact of trade on women from economic, social and political perspectives; reviews gender provisions and considers how gender is being “mainstreamed” into WTO members’ policies through international, regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements; evaluates trends relating to the participation of women in specific sectors; and highlights ways in which regional and international organizations are promoting the women and trade agenda.
INTR 6120: Trade and Tourism
Course Description
This course delves into the unique challenges facing the Caribbean tourism industry, including issues related to external shocks, sustainability, and climate change. It provides a comprehensive coverage of topics such as the significance of tourism as an export, the hindrances to tourism’s export potential, and sustainable tourism responses. Additionally, it explores the role of public policy in tourism and destination competitiveness, including the formulation of policies and strategies to promote sustainable tourism practices.
The course examines the interconnection between trade agreements and tourism, with a specific emphasis on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the opportunities and challenges it presents for the tourism industry. It also explores the impact of regional transport on tourism, including the roles of airlines and cruise lines in enabling tourism flows. Finally, the course examines approaches to managing risk in the tourism industry, including the development of crisis management plans and the utilization of insurance and other risk management techniques.
INTR 6121: Intellectual Property, Innovation and Trade Policy
Course Description
This course focuses on the role and significance of intellectual property rights and how they have been addressed in the global trading system. Specific attention will be paid to understanding the role of innovation in development, particularly for small economies.
Intellectual property rights are key elements of existing and proposed regional and bilateral trade agreements in which CARICOM states are involved. Thus, regional trade practitioners should understand how intellectual property rights located within International trade agreements can improve trade competitiveness.
MITP Faculty Member
SPENCE, Malcolm (Mr) – Senior Coordinator for Intellectual Property, Science & Technology Issues, Office of Trade Negotiations, CARICOM
INTR 6126: Customs and Customs Administration in CARICOM/OECS
Course Description
The course is developed against the background that the CSME has become a single economic space that requires processes and procedures that are streamlined and predictable for traders and consumers. The course reviews trade and customs policy mandates relevant to CARICOM Member States, with a view to strengthening harmonization of trade related processes and procedures. The course covers aspects like the regional trade policy and governance regime under the RTC and CSME, the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and business perspectives on customs and trade, along with intelligence management on customs issues. It was developed for those interested in customs and customs administration in the OECS/CARICOM.
Caribbean Community Law and the Caribbean Court of Justice
Course Description
This course explores the institutional and governance components of CARICOM, in particular the various treaty organs and bodies established by the RTC, which play an integral role in the operation of the legal framework governing economic integration. It considers the CCJ as an international court, as well as an understanding of how CARICOM and the CCJ are situated within the broader framework of international law and the global trading system. It then examines select aspects of substantive Caribbean Community law, focussing in particular on the norms developed in the CCJ’s case law thus far pertaining to free movement of goods and services; the operation of the common external tariff on extra-regional imports, as well as the rules regarding customs duties and other charges on goods of CARICOM origin. The course will also examine select aspects of procedural Community Law, including issues pertaining to who can sue and be sued under the original jurisdiction of the CCJ; the various types of proceedings under the CCJ’s original jurisdiction; the CCJ’s Rules of Procedure; case management and advocacy.
Trade and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Course Description
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the new global development framework. The 2030 Agenda recognizes international trade as an important means of implementation and as an engine for promoting inclusive growth. This course will primarily focus on the relationships between international trade and the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The course is expected to play a bridging role between research and communities of practice, that are currently operating (often) separately on themes of international trade and SDGs.
This course is designed for participants/professionals with an interest in the role international trade can play in the attainment of the SDGs and the Caribbean’s experience with implementing the SDGs. The course emphasizes areas such as the role trade can help eradicate poverty (SDG1) agricultural trade impact in ending hunger by 2030 (SDG2), how trade agreements can facilitate trade in education services (SDGs 4), and the various channels through which women are part of the global trading economy (SDG5). It also explores the interaction of international trade with climate policies and the influence of trade on the implementation of SDG 13 (climate change).
Trade and the Blue Economy
Course Description
This course explores the origins of the blue economy and the manner in which it is regulated under international, regional and national governance frameworks. This includes the gaps in regulation/implementation that will allow continued erosion of the natural ocean capital – with a particular emphasis on how the trade context affects and is affected by the Blue Economy agenda. Using case studies, it will also consider how the blue economy and its sustainable development has been and is best integrated into national and regional development plans. It identifies best practice and ultimately explores how best the Blue Economy can yield substantial opportunities and benefits to small island development states, like those of CARICOM.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of the MITP Programme?
The cost of the Programme is BBD $30,000.00
What is the cost of the Post-Graduate Diploma?
The cost of the Post-Graduate Diploma is BBD $15,000.00
Are scholarships available for the MITP programme?
The MITP programme is not currently offering a scholarship.
Are there payment plans options available?
Payments for the MITP programme can be made in 4 installments. Students must first contact the University of the West Indies Bursary to make the necessary arrangements so the plan can be added to the student account.
Can my credits be applied towards the Master’s programme after completion of the Post-Graduate Diploma?
The credits from the Post-Graduate Diploma will go forward towards the completion of the Master’s degree in International Trade Policy
Does the programme offer semester long courses?
The courses in the MITP programme are all two-weeks in duration (modular) with the exception of the Law course which is four weeks and the Quantitative course which is the only course which is semester long.
What is the purpose of the Study Tour to Geneva?
The period spent in Geneva has been designed to fine tune the skills and knowledge which the students acquired during the last 9 months of academic teaching.
What is the cost of the Study Tour to Geneva?
The cost of the Study Tour is BBD $5,000 (covers ticket and accommodation only)
Any Questions? Reach Out To Our MITP/PGITP Administrator
To learn more about our MITP and PGITP programmes, please do not hesitate to reach out to our MITP/PGITP Administrator.
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Why you should enroll with us
Qualifications Required
About the Masters
About the Post-Graduate Diploma
Core Courses
Elective Courses
Frequently Asked Questions