In December 2008 I took over the Editorship of The World Trade Review from Professor Douglas Irwin. The issue of April 2009 is the last for which he is responsible.

The Editorial Board and I would like to pay tribute to Doug for his excellent work as the second editor of the Review, consolidating it as a leading outlet for economic, legal, political, and inter-disciplinary research on the world trading system. It is my intention to build on his efforts, by publishing excellent research that is simultaneously rigorous and accessible, and by encouraging a variety of other forms of contribution. The Review offers readers a unique inter-disciplinary perspective on the multilateral trading system and authors high-quality refereeing and rapid publication. I would like to encourage submissions from researchers and practitioners from all relevant disciplines and from all points of view.

I would also like to pay tribute to the excellence and diligence of the many people who have refereed articles for The Review, and to Professor Chad Bown, who continues as Book Review Editor. I hope they will all continue to be as kind to me as they were to Doug.

I shall be editing The Review as part of my academic activities based at the University of Sussex. Although I am currently also employed part-time as Chief Economist to the UK Government's Department for International Development, it is explicitly agreed between myself and the Department that the latter exercises no influence whatsoever over my editorial decisions or duties. The Editorial Board will consciously monitor adherence to that agreement.