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Professor David Collins

Professor of International Economic Law

The City Law School Academic law programmes

Contact details

Address

Professor David Collins City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

About

Overview

Professor David Collins teaches and researches international economic law specializing in the law of the World Trade Organization and international investment law. He heads the City Law School's Digital Trade Research Group and was formerly City University's Assistant Vice President for Research. He is a Solicitor of England & Wales and is admitted to the Bars of Ontario and New York. Prior to entering academia David practiced commercial litigation in Toronto, Canada and was a prosecutor for the Attorney General of Ontario.

David's research has attracted funding from the British Academy, the ESRC, the EPSRC and the Society of Legal Scholars. He is Co-Editor in Chief of the journal International Trade Law and Regulation and Series Editor for Routledge Insights on International Economic Law. He has been a visiting researcher and taught at many academic institutions around the world.

In 2018 the Government of Canada nominated David to the roster of panellists for NAFTA (now USMCA) binational Trade Remedies disputes. He has given evidence to the International Trade Committee of the UK parliament and was appointed to the Academic Advisory Councils of Politeia and the Institute of Economic Affairs. Since 2009 David has been a member of the International Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales. He is also an Academic Adviser for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and an output assessor for the 2021 REF.

David is currently co-editing Elgar's Research Handbook on Digital Trade.

Qualifications

  1. PhD (International Economic Law), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands, Mar 2010 – Jun 2013
  2. BCL (Bachelor of Civil Law/LLM), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, Sep 2004 – Jul 2005
  3. MSc (Economic and Social History), University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom, Sep 2002 – Jul 2003
  4. JD (Law), University of Toronto, Canada, Sep 1996 – Jun 1999
  5. BA Hon (English and History), University of Toronto, Canada, Sep 1994 – Nov 1997

Employment

  1. Visiting Professor, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Feb – Mar 2020
  2. Visiting Fellow, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan, Sep – Oct 2018
  3. Visiting Scholar, University of California Berkeley, US, Oct 2017 – Nov 2021
  4. Visiting Professor, Keio Law School, Tokyo, Japan, Aug 2017
  5. Visiting Professor, Vilnius University, Lithuania, May 2015
  6. Visiting Fellow, Max Planck Insitute for Comparative Public and International Law, Heidelberg, Germany, Nov 2014
  7. Visiting Fellow, University of Oslo, Norway, Oct 2014
  8. Visiting Professor, Pericles Law Center, Moscow, Russia, Jul 2012
  9. Visiting Fellow, Columbia University, New York City, US, Sep – Dec 2011
  10. Visiting Fellow, University of Hong Kong, Aug 2010
  11. Visiting Professor, ESADE Law School, Barcelona, Spain, Sep 2009 – Dec 2019
  12. Visiting Fellow, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia, Aug 2009
  13. Visiting Fellow, University of Bern, Switzerland, May 2009
  14. Visiting Fellow, Institute of International Economic Law, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., US, Jan – Apr 2008

Fellowships

  1. Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (UK)
  2. Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences

Memberships of committees

  1. Member, Co-Opted Member, International Committee of the Law Society of England and Wales, Aug 2009 – present

Research students

Alexandros-Catalin Bakos

Attendance: Sep 2021 – present, full-time

Thesis title: Economic Sanctions and International Investment Law

Role: 1st Supervisor

Sekander Nayeen

Attendance: Jan 2021 – present

Thesis title: Sustainable Development in International Investment Law

Odysseus Stergianopoulos

Attendance: Sep 2020 – present

Thesis title: Counterclaims in Investment Arbitration

Role: 1st Supervisor

Chijioke Chijioke-Oforji

Attendance: Apr 2019

Thesis title: Sovereign Wealth Funds and Network Governance

Role: 1st Supervisor

Mariem Ben Slimane

Attendance: Jan 2019

Thesis title: Arab countries in the World Trade Organization

Role: 1st Supervisor

Dogan Gultutan

Attendance: Sep 2017 – Jul 2021, part-time

Thesis title: Moral Damages in International Investment Arbitration

Role: 1st Supervisor

Publications

Publications by category

Books (6)

  1. Collins, D. (2019). Foundations of International Economic Law. Edward Elgar.
  2. Collins, D. (2018). The Public International Law of Trade in Legal Services. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-42352-6.
  3. Collins, D.A. (2016). An Introduction to International Investment Law. Cambridge University Press.
  4. Collins, D.A. (2015). The World Trade Organization: A Beginner's Guide. Oneworld.
  5. Collins, D. (2015). Performance Requirements and Investment Incentives Under International Economic Law. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  6. Collins, D.A. (2013). The BRIC States and Outward Foreign Direct Investment. Oxford University Press.

Chapters (5)

  1. Collins, D. (2020). Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessments for Foreign Investment Projects: A Canadian Perspective. In Kent, A., De Brabandere, E. and Gazzini, T. (Eds.), Public Participation and Foreign Investment Law (pp. 229–256). Brill.
  2. Collins, D. (2019). Brexit and International Trade: The Aspiration of Global Britain. In Fahey, E. and Ahmed, T. (Eds.), On Brexit: Law Justices and Injustices (pp. 238–252). Edward Elgar.
  3. Collins, D. (2019). Performance Requirement Prohibitions in International Investment Law. Handbook of International Investment Law and Policy (pp. 1–20). Springer Singapore. ISBN 978-981-13-5744-2.
  4. Collins, D.A. (2014). National Treatment in Emerging Market Investment Treaties. In Kamperman Sanders, A. (Ed.), The Principle of National Treatment in International Economic Law Edward Elgar.
  5. Collins, D.A. (2011). A case study of coverage issues: Canada's sub-central coverage under the agreement on government procurement. In Arrowsmith, S. and Anderson, R.D. (Eds.), The WTO Regime on Government Procurement: Challenge and Reform (pp. 175–196). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ Pr. ISBN 978-1-107-00664-5.

Journal articles (42)

  1. Collins, D. (2021). Standing the Test of Time: The Level Playing Field and Rebalancing Mechanism in the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Journal of International Dispute Settlement, 12(4), pp. 617–636. doi:10.1093/jnlids/idab023.
  2. Collins, D., Park, T.J. and Lee, J.H. (2021). “A Soft Landing for Developing Countries and Non-Discrimination in Digital Trade: Possible Lessons from Asian Countries. Journal of World Trade, 55(4), pp. 649–665.
  3. Collins, D. (2021). Foreign Investment under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Mitigating Punctuated Equilibrium in Legal Economic Dis-Integration. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 18(1), pp. 50–69.
  4. Collins, D. (2021). Canada Minus: How a UK-EU FTA Incorporating the Withdrawal Agreement and Northern Ireland Protocol would be Inferior to CETA. International Trade Law and Regulation, 2021(1), pp. 1–6.
  5. Collins, D. (2020). Deploying WTO Trade Remedies to Combat the Eurozone’s Unfairness. Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation, 35(8), pp. 295–308.
  6. Collins, D. (2020). The UK’s Post Brexit Trade Landscape: The EU and the Wider World. International Trade Law and Regulation, 20(2), pp. 73–78.
  7. Collins, D. (2020). The (Non)Liberalization of Trade in Legal Services in the EU under the WTO GATS and FTAs. International Trade Law and Regulation, 2020(1), pp. 56–70.
  8. Collins, D. (2019). The International Bar Association and Trade in Legal Services: Meta Law-Making in International Economic Law? Indian Journal of International Economic Law, 11, pp. 57–81.
  9. Collins, D. and Abe, Y. (2018). The CPTPP and Digital Trade: Embracing E-Commerce Opportunities for SMEs in Japan and Canada. Transnational Dispute Management, (December 2018).
  10. COLLINS, D. (2018). Government Procurement with Strings Attached: The Uneven Control of Offsets by the World Trade Organization and Regional Trade Agreements. Asian Journal of International Law, 8(2), pp. 301–321. doi:10.1017/s2044251316000278.
  11. Collins, D.A. (2018). Narrative and Lyrical Elements in International Investment Agreements: Towards an Imagination-Inspired Understanding of International Legal Obligations. UC Davis Journal of International Law and Policy, 24(2), pp. 179–208.
  12. Broom, M., Collins, D., Vu, T.H. and Thomas, P. (2018). The four regions in settlement space: a game-theoretical approach to investment treaty arbitration. Part I: modelling. Law, Probability and Risk, 17(1), pp. 55–78. doi:10.1093/lpr/mgx020.
  13. Broom, M., Collins, D., Hieu Vu, T. and Thomas, P. (2018). The four regions in settlement space: a game-theoretical approach to investment treaty arbitration. Part II: cases. Law, Probability and Risk, 17(1), pp. 79–98. doi:10.1093/lpr/mgx019.
  14. Collins, D.A. (2017). The UK should include ISDS in its post-Brexit international investment agreements. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 14(3), pp. 300–317.
  15. Collins, D.A. (2017). Loss Aversion Bias or Fear of Missing Out: A Behavioural Economics Analysis of Compensation in Investor-State Dispute Settlement. Journal of International Dispute Settlement, 8(3), pp. 460–482. doi:10.1093/jnlids/idw024.
  16. Collins, D.A. and Park, T.J. (2017). Deafening Silence or Noisy Whisper: Omission Bias and Foregone Revenue under the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures. Journal of World Trade, 51(6), pp. 1069–1088.

    [publisher’s website]

  17. Collins, D.A. and Park, T.J. (2017). Interaction of Tax incentives and Performance Requirements in Bilateral Investment Treaties: Its Role in Implementing Right Institutions in Developing Countries. Fordham International Law Journal, 41(1), pp. 207–226.
  18. Collins, D.A., Klotz, E. and Robinson, B. (2016). Start-Ed: A Model for Commercial Clinical Legal Education. International Journal of Clinical Legal Education, 23(5), pp. 80–106.
  19. Collins, D.A. (2016). The Line of Equilibrium: Improving Investment Arbitration through the Application of the WTO General Exceptions. Arbitration International, 32(4), pp. 575–587. doi:10.1093/arbint/aiw031.
  20. Collins, D.A. (2016). Globalized Localism: Canada's Government Procurement Commitments under CETA. Transnational Dispute Management, 2016(2), pp. 1–11.
  21. Collins, D.A. and Thomas, P. (2016). Measuring Gross Disproportion in Environmental Precaution to Establish Regulatory Expropriation and Quantum of Compensation in International Investment Arbitration. European Journal of Law and Economics, 41(3), pp. 621–639. doi:10.1007/s10657-014-9433-4.
  22. Collins, D. (2015). Towards a Grand Unified Theory of International Economic Law. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 12(2), pp. 140–166.
  23. Collins, D.A. (2014). The Chaos Machine: The WTO in a Social Entropy Model of The World Trading System. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 34(2), pp. 353–374. doi:10.1093/ojls/gqt023.
  24. Collins, D.A. (2013). ICSID Annulment Committee Appointments: Too Much Discretion to the Chairman? Journal of International Arbitration, 30(4), pp. 333–344.
  25. Collins, D.A. (2012). Alternative Dispute Settlement for Stakeholders in International Investment Law. Journal of International Economic Law, 15(2), pp. 673–700.
  26. Collins, D.A. (2012). Sustainable International Investment Law After the Pax Americana: The BOOT on the Other Foot. The Journal of World Investment & Trade, 13(3), pp. 325–348. doi:10.1163/221190012X637754.
  27. Collins, D.A. (2011). Applying the Full Protection and Security Standard of International Investment Law to Digital Assets. Journal of World Investment & Trade, 12(2), pp. 225–244.

    [publisher’s website]

  28. Collins, D.A. (2010). A New Role for the WTO in International Investment Law: Public Interest in the Post Neoliberal Period. Connecticut Journal of International Law, 25(1), pp. 1–35.

    [publisher’s website]

  29. Collins, D.A. (2010). Environmental Impact Statements and Public Participation in International Investment Law. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 7(2), pp. 4–23.

    [publisher’s website]

  30. Collins, D.A. (2010). Settlement Agreements, Legal Information and the Mistake of Law Rule in Contract. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 61(1), pp. 1–16.

    [publisher’s website]

  31. Collins, D.A. (2009). Health Protection at the World Trade Organization - The J-Value as a Universal Standard for Reasonableness of Regulatory Precautions. Journal of World Trade, 43(5), pp. 1071–1091.

    [publisher’s website]

  32. Collins, D.A. (2009). Efficient Breach, Reliance and Contract Remedies at the WTO. Journal of World Trade, 43(2), pp. 225–244.

    [publisher’s website]

  33. Collins, D.A. (2009). Reliance Remedies at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business, 29(1), pp. 195–216.

    [publisher’s website]

  34. Collins, D.A. (2009). Canada's Prohibition of Automated Bank Machine Withdrawal Charges as a Violation of the WTO GATS. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 4(3), pp. 43–58.
  35. Collins, D.A. (2008). Efficient Allocation of Property Rights on the Planet Mars. Boston University Journal of Science and Technology Law, 14(2), pp. 201–219.

    [publisher’s website]

  36. Collins, D.A. (2008). Compulsory Arbitration Agreements in Domestic and International Consumer Contracts. King's Law Journal, 19(2), pp. 335–356.

    [publisher’s website]

  37. Collins, D.A. (2008). Canada's Sub-Central Coverage Under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. Public Procurement Law Review, 17(1), pp. 21–35.

    [publisher’s website]

  38. Collins, D.A. (2006). Fair Trade City Subsidization and WTO Agreement Violation. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 3(2), pp. 67–81.
  39. Collins, D.A. (2006). Institutionalized Fact Finding at the WTO. University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Economic Law, 27, pp. 367–387.
  40. Collins, D.A. (2005). Public Funding of Class Actions and the Experience with English Group Proceedings. Manitoba Law Journal, 31, pp. 211–238.
  41. Collins, D.A. (2002). Spies Like Them: The Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Its Place in World Intelligence. The Sydney Law Review, 24, pp. 505–528.
  42. Collins, D.A. (2002). Age of the Living Dead: Personality Rights of Deceased Celebrities. Alberta Law Review, 39, pp. 914–933.

Reports (9)

  1. Collins, D., Howe, M., Reynolds, B. and Webber, J. (2021). The Lawyers Advise: UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement – Unfinished Business?.
  2. Collins, D. (2020). How to Level the EU’s Playing Field – Trade Remedies for a Trade Deal. London: Politeia.
  3. Collins, D., Smith, I.D., Howe, M., Reynolds, B. and Miller, E. (2020). The EU Deal Unmasked: Twelve Reasons Why the UK Will Fail to Get a Canada-Style Deal..
  4. Collins, D. (2020). The 'Australian Deal': Another Impossible Dream. London.
  5. Collins, D.A. (2018). Brexit and Beyond: The Legal Framework for UK-EU and Global Trade. London: Politeia.
  6. Collins, D.A. and Bardle, S. (2018). E-Commerce Strategies for London's Creative Sector. London.
  7. Collins, D.A. and Klotz, E. (2018). GDPR and E-Commerce..
  8. Collins, D.A. (2017). Negotiating Brexit: The Legal Basis for EU & Global Trade. London: Politeia.
  9. Collins, D.A. (2012). The Chaos Machine: The WTO in a Social Entropy Model of the World Trading System. The City Law School of City University London.

Working papers (2)

  1. Curtis, M., Smith, M., Parmar, I., Rees, W., Mai'a, K., Cross, D. … Shleina, V. (2020). Contemporary Issues in Transatlantic Relations. London, UK: City Law School, City, University of London.
  2. Fahey, E., McDonagh, L., Bonadio, E., Collins, D. and Rogers, A. (2019). REPORT ON THE TRILTRADE PROJECT: TRADE, REGULATION & IP POST-BREXIT. London: City Law School Working Paper Series.

Other (41)

  1. Collins, D. (2020). The Savage Season.

    [publisher’s website]

  2. Collins, D.A. (2019). Book Review: Proportionality, Reasonableness and Standards of Review in International Investment Law and Arbitration by Valentina Vadi.
  3. Collins, D. (2019). Book Review: The Impact of Investment Treaty Law on Host States by Mavluda Sattorova.
  4. Collins, D. (2019). Book Review: International Adjudication on Trial by Sivan Schlomo Agon.
  5. Collins, D.A. (2018). Book Review: A Guide to State Succession in International Investment Law by Patrick Dumberry.
  6. Collins, D. (2018). Review of 2018 ICSID Awards.
  7. Collins, D.A. (2017). Book Review: International Law Theories by Andrea Bianchi.
  8. Collins, D.A. (2017). Review of 2017 ICSID Decisions.
  9. Collins, D.A. (2016). Book Review: Proportionality and Deference in Investor-State Arbitration by Caroline Henckels.
  10. Collins, D.A. (2016). Review of 2016 ICSID Decisions.

    [publisher’s website]

  11. Collins, D. (2015). Review of 2015 ICSID Decisions.
  12. Collins, D. (2015). Book Review: Oxford Handbook of Behavioral Economics and the Law by A Zamir and D Teichman eds.
  13. Collins, D.A. (2014). Book Review: Doing Business in the BRICS by R Nath ed.
  14. Collins, D. (2014). Review of 2014 ICSID Decisions.
  15. Collins, D.A. (2013). Book Review: Development at the WTO by Sonia E Rolland.
  16. Collins, D.A. (2013). Review of 2013 ICSID Decisions.
  17. Collins, D.A. (2012). Book Review: The Public International Law Regime Governing International Investment by Jose Alvarez.
  18. Collins, D.A. (2012). Book Review: World Trade Law After Neoliberalism by Andrew Lang.
  19. Collins, D.A. (2012). Review of 2012 ICSID Decisions.
  20. Collins, D.A. (2011). Book Review: The Effect of Treaties on Foreign Direct Investment by K Sauvant and L Sachs eds.
  21. Collins, D.A. (2011). Book Review: Foreign Direct Investments from Emerging Markets by K Sauvant ed.
  22. Collins, D.A. (2011). Review of 2011 ICSID Decisions.
  23. Collins, D.A. (2010). Book Review: International Economic Law, Second Edition by Andreas Lowenfeld.
  24. Collins, D.A. (2010). Book Review: Economics of the Law: A Primer by Wolfgang Weigel.
  25. Collins, D.A. (2010). Book Review: State Responsibility in Investment Treaty Arbitration: Global Constitutional and Administrative Law in the BIT Generation by Santiago Montt.
  26. Collins, D.A. (2010). Book Review: Socially Responsible Investment Law: Regulating the Unseen Polluters by Benjamin Richardson.
  27. Collins, D.A. (2010). Review of 2010 ICSID Decisions.
  28. Collins, D.A. (2009). Book Review: International Economic Law: The State and Future of the Discipline by C Picker, I Bunn, D Arner eds.
  29. Collins, D.A. (2009). Book Review: Constitutionalizing Economic Globalization: Investment Rules and Democracy’s Promise by David Schneiderman.
  30. Collins, D.A. (2009). Book Review: Principles of International Investment Law by Rudolf Dolzer and Christoph Schreuer.
  31. Collins, D.A. (2009). Review of 2009 ICSID Decisions.
  32. Collins, D. (2009). Book Review: Boilerplate: The Foundation of Market Contracts by O Ben-Shahar ed.
  33. Collins, D.A. (2008). Book Review: Financial Stability, Economic Growth and the Role of Law by Douglas W Arner.
  34. Collins, D.A. (2008). Book Review: Human Rights and the WTO. The Case of Patents and Access to Medicines by Holger P Hestermeyer.
  35. Collins, D.A. (2008). Book Review: The World Trade Organization: Law, Economics and Politics by Bernard M Hoekman and Petros C Mavroidis.
  36. Collins, D.A. (2008). Book Review: International Economic Law and the Digital Divide: A New Silk Road? by Rohan Kariyawasam.
  37. Collins, D.A. (2008). Review of 2008 ICSID Decisions.
  38. Collins, D.A. (2007). Book Review, Cultural Products and the World Trade Organization by Tania Voon.
  39. Collins, D.A. (2006). Recent Developments in Tobacco Class Action Litigation from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
  40. Collins, D.A. (2006). Review of 2006 ICSID Decisions.
  41. Collins, D. Some Thoughts on Claims for Reflexive Loss in Investor-State Dispute Settlement.

Professional activities

Editorial activity (3)

  1. Routledge Insights on International Economic Law, Series Editor, Apr 2020 – present.
  2. International Trade Law and Regulation, Co-Editor in Chief, Mar 2018 – present.
  3. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, Board of Editors, 2010 – present.