This book investigates the optimal level of government intervention required to balance regulatory competition against the benefits of international harmonization. Editors Daniel C. Esty and Geradin Damien compile contributions from prominent scholars to analyze the tension between decentralized regulatory competition and centralized standard-setting. The text utilizes comparative legal and economic frameworks to determine which policy approaches maximize social welfare in an increasingly integrated global market.

Experts identify this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of international economic law and regulatory policy. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a rigorous resource for students and practitioners of trade law.