Digital Plurilateralism in International Economic Law

Abstract

The rise of the digital economy has prompted states to turn to domestic law – including data localization, source code disclosure requirements, digital asset restrictions, and digital services taxes – to address its challenges. Simultaneously, states are increasingly leveraging plurilateral frameworks, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), and plurilateral agreements, such as the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce in the World Trade Organization (WTO), to address the economic and geoeconomic challenges posed by the digital economy. The article examines the role of plurilateralism and plurilateral agreements in regulating the digital economy. It explores plurilateralism as a regulatory strategy for digital technologies in international trade, both within and outside the WTO. It also compares digital plurilateralism with other modalities of international governance, including multilateral and regional approaches. The article concludes by underscoring the merits of plurilateralism as a form of ‘unilateral multilateralism’ and explores its potential to shape future international ordering in the digital economy.