Defining Developing Countries in International Economic Law

Kristie Thomas is Head of Aston Law School at Aston University, Birmingham, UK. She joined Aston Law School as Senior Lecturer in January 2017. She previously worked as a lecturer in business law at Nottingham University; she also gained her PhD from Nottingham in 2008; her doctoral research concerned the intellectual property system in China following World Trade Organization accession in 2001. She also holds an MA in Chinese studies (with distinction) from the University of Leeds, and her undergraduate law degree was completed at the University of Sheffield. Her current research interests combine elements of law and business, reflecting her research interests in international trade, intellectual property, comparative law, and business practice more generally. She has a particular interest in Asia, having spent two years based at the University of Nottingham’s China campus from 2004-2006 and having previously also lived in Taiwan for two years.

• 1. The Designation of Developing Countries in International Economic Law: An Introduction 2. Classifying Development: The Categorization of Countries in International Economic Law 3. Developing Countries at the WTO: Self-designation Under the Spotlight 4. China as a Developing Country at the WTO: Navigating Power, Identity, and Development 5. China as a Developing Country: Domestic Attitudes to the Designation Beyond the Economics 6. Conclusion: Rethinking Differentiation in International Economic Law