Politics lecturer gives evidence to Parliament
19 Dec 2014
Dr Gabriel Siles-Brügge called to appear before the House of Commons' Business, Innovation and Skills select committee
Lecturer in Politics, Gabriel Siles-Brügge, has given evidence to Parliament on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union and the United States.
Dr Siles-Brügge appeared before the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee of MPs in the House of Commons as part of their inquiry into the impact of the TTIP on the UK economy.
He is author of The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the Role of Computable General Equilibrium Modelling: An Exercise in ‘Managing Fictional Expectations’, published in the journal, New Political Economy with co-author Ferdi De Ville of Ghent University.
Appearing before the committee of MPs on Tuesday 16 December, Dr Siles-Brugge offered his assessment of the economic modelling being used to sell the agreement by supporters (including prime minister David Cameron) finding that it exaggerates the likely gains of a partnership while downplaying potential costs.
He was also asked for his view on the Investor-state Dispute Settlement aspect of an agreement, which he argued was both constrictive and unnecessary for the developed legal systems involved.
Dr Siles-Brügge used the opportunity to urge for greater transparency in talks and to sustain interest in trade issues even after TTIP.
His paper is available in open access at: