The ITPU has developed considerable expertise and experience in five principle areas:
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Understanding trade agreements, their interrelationship, and their implications in the international and domestic context
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Their implications for civil society, the business community and wider global debates
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The political and organisational requirements arising out of these agreements, particularly their implications for federal systems, and for transition and developing countries
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How the policy interface between national governments and their regional and multilateral trading partners are managed
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Evaluating how countries manage the appropriate balance between trade agreements and other policy priorities, both national and international
In its six years of functioning the ITPU has established a reputation for research, policy analysis, consultancy and capacity-building work in all the areas described above. It has received support and cooperation in its programmes and events| from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills|, the Department for International Development (DFID)|, the Commonwealth Secretariat|, LSE Enterprise|, and the European Union|.