| Summary: | Deep trade agreements matter for economic development. The rules embedded in DTAs, along with the multilateral trade rules and other elements of international economic law influence how countries transact, invest, work, and, ultimately, develop. Trade and investment regimes determine the extent of economic integration, competition rules affect economic efficiency, intellectual property rights matter for innovation, environmental and labor rules contribute to social and environmental outcomes. It is, therefore, vital that rules and commitments in DTAs are informed by evidence and shaped more by development priorities than by international power dynamics or domestic politics. This Handbook presents detailed data on the content of the eighteen policy areas most frequently covered in PTAs, focusing on the stated objectives, substantive commitments, and other aspects such as transparency, procedures and enforcement. In terms of the coverage of policy areas and the granularity of information within each area, this is the most comprehensive effort up to date. Each chapter, authored by a leading expert in his or her field, explains in detail the methodology used to collect the information and provides a first look at the evidence in each policy area--
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