Global trade at a crossroads: Tariffs, investment, and power in transition

Join us at SOAS University of London for a panel discussion that traces the arc of globalisation over the past two decades—and asks what comes next. 

Is globalisation unravelling? Are tariffs just the beginning of a deeper reshaping of the global economic order? We revisit how the world economy integrated, before turning to the legal, regulatory, and political tremors shaking it today. Leading experts in international trade and policy will guide us through critical issues, from trade law reforms to investment flows, regulatory barriers, and monetary shifts. 

We will also widen the lens to explore the Global South’s perspective on these transformations. Essential for students, trade experts, diplomats, and corporate strategists alike, this is a conversation not to be missed.

About the speakers

Alberto Asquer is the Head of the School of Finance and Management and a Reader in Public Policy and Management at SOAS University of London. His research focuses on public sector management, including public policy-making, regulatory reforms, and public financial management. 

He has published in leading academic journals and authored books including Public Sector Management (SAGE, 2017), Public Sector Revenue (Routledge, 2017), and Regulation of Infrastructure and Utilities (Palgrave, 2018). Beyond academia, he designs and delivers executive training for civil servants and professionals in international organizations and government departments.

Luca Rubini is an Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Milan, Italy, and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. He specializes in international economic law, with a particular focus on the regulation of state intervention in markets. Rubini has held academic positions at institutions such as the University of Turin, University of Leicester, and the World Trade Institute. 

He has also served as a legal secretary in the cabinet of Advocate General Jacobs at the European Court of Justice. His notable publication, The Definition of Subsidy and State Aid: WTO Law and EC Law in Comparative Perspective, offers a comprehensive analysis of subsidy regulation in international and European contexts.

Julius Sen is an Associate Director and Senior Programme Advisor at LSE Enterprise, the commercial arm of the London School of Economics and Political Science. With over 25 years in the Indian Administrative Service, he has extensive experience in policy-making and implementation at both state and regional levels. 

At the LSE, he designs and delivers executive education programmes for governments and private sector entities worldwide, focusing on trade, regulation, competitiveness, and economic policy. He also serves as an Honorary Professor of Public Administration and is a member of the International Trade Policy Unit at the LSE.

Photo credit: Andi Li (Unsplash)