Category: OxBright Essay Competition

  • What are the implications of the United States’ blockage of appointments to the WTO Appellate Body in 2019, and what progress has been made towards reforming the dispute settlement system?
    by Kayah Bhan, Kyan Chrisengku, Shizhuo Huang, Chloe Loh and Chong Xi Filippo Zhao
    This research paper examines the paralysis of the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body (AB) since 2019, caused by the United States’ blockage of new appointments. It addresses the U.S.' rationale for blocking appointments, including concerns over judicial overreach, and the temporary arbitrations, such as the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA).
  • eVTOLs as Aerial Taxis in Urban Environments: Human-Centred Design and Operational Considerations for Next-Generation Air Transport
    by Ameera Abdulla (AA), Zaara Madhu Arora (ZA), Noverta Cheung (NC), Vidhi Choudhary (VC), Parker Corbett (PC), Patrycja Gorzelak (PG), Cheng Zhen Matthew Hsieh (MH), Muhammad Aayan Naeem (AN), Encan Shen (ES), Hirakazu Ping Sun (PS), Caspar Tillieux (CT), Akhil Varma (AV) and Eliza Westwood (EW)
    Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft represent a transformative advancement in urban and inter-city transportation, offering faster, quieter and more sustainable travel solutions. This report outlines the necessary steps for the development and deployment of eVTOLs, incorporating a Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) that addresses the perspectives of both pilots and passengers.
  • Global Trade Governance and the U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry: Tariffs, Currency Competition and Semiconductors
    by Zachary Chisdak, Gauri Khanna and Nik Kostadinov
    This paper examines how the U.S.-China strategic rivalry is reshaping the norms and institutions of global trade governance, with a focus on tariffs, currency competition and semiconductor export controls. These cases illustrate the fusion of national security with economic statecraft, reshaping global supply chains and accelerating the emergence of rival technological ecosystems.
  • The Efficacy of IMF Austerity Measures in Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Liberia
    by Jeyla Abasguliyeva, Jiangcun Huang, Ophelia Scurlock and Catherine Ste-Marie
    This article examines the relationship between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and African governance, while analysing the effects of IMF-implemented austerity measures. Since the 1960s, the IMF has implemented measures across Africa in an effort to stabilise national economies and manage debt. In two separate case studies of Ghana and Liberia, the effectiveness of these measures is examined.
  • Economic Impacts of IMF Integration Policies in the Middle East and Southeast Asia
    by Daria Balabukha, Serey Vollaphea Chau, Harry McLennan, Amy Youssef and Sophia Zago
    This research paper focuses on the various policies used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Southeast Asia (SEA) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since the 1990s. By analysing the policies introduced in the regions, the research evaluates that the policies and methods of the IMF have frequently failed to achieve their aims due to mistakes involving the policies of austerity, fiscal consolidation, currency devaluation and pegging removal.

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