The role of interoperability in international trade: institutions, policies and approaches

This research project is aimed at deepening our understanding of the role of interoperability as an enabler of innovation and creativity in international trade. Based on three in-depth exploratory studies, we examine:

(i) to what extent and how interoperability has contributed to the promotion of international trade;

(ii) what respective roles international organisations have played in concert with other stakeholders with regard to interoperability and international trade;

(iii) what policies and approaches to supporting interoperability have been used, and with what results; and

(iv) what can be learned from these experiences with regard to emerging interoperability issues in the context of international trade.

The three exploratory studies will address this set of questions from different angles, acknowledging the multi-faceted character of the concept of interoperability (Gasser & Palfrey 2007). The first paper takes a historical and institutional approach and focuses on key instances where interoperability at the physical and logical layer of core infrastructure elements has driven innovation in international trade. The second study discusses the guiding questions mentioned above from an international law and policy perspective, looking at the interaction among interoperability, innovation, and trade. The third paper seeks to build upon some of the insights gained from the two other studies and apply them to a particularly important emerging

issue: the interoperability of information “as such” as a crucial building block of the international trade system.