Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub

The Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub is a non-profit research institute affiliated with the George Washington University's (GWU) Elliot School of International Affairs. Our founding director, Susan Ariel Aaronson, is a distinguished Research Professor at GWU's Institute for International Economic Policy and a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation in Canada. She has published extensively on subjects related to International trade, the WTO, digital trade, digital rights, data governance, good governance, anti-corruption, transparency, economic growth, and human rights. The Hub was established to address the ramifications of increasingly complex digital trade and data governance policies that were and are being created by exponential digital development. Currently, researchers, firms, and governments are using insights gleaned from analyses of large data sets, collected from internet users, to create new goods and services (a data-driven economy). To address growing concerns around privacy, cybersecurity, and the freedom of speech, societies are developing new rules to govern the use of that data. Given different national norms regarding data and the rapid pace of data-driven technological development, it will not be easy to find common ground on domestically and internationally accepted policies. Our mission is to provide policymakers, the press, and the public with a greater understanding of these complex digital trade and data governance issues in order to improve trust and efficiency in our systems. To fulfill our mission, the Hub conducts original research on mapping data governance policies and hosts a network of digital scholars. In addition, we have worked with the WTO, Senate AI Caucus, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Centre for International Governance Innovation, US International Trade Commission, Web Foundation, and many more to organize free webinars and trainings for policy makers and the public.