Regulating Space-Based Commerce

Insights from Economics and International Economic Law
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-5099-9206-5
Verlag: Bloomsbury Academic

Buch, Englisch, 416 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 454 g

As private actors increasingly enter the space sector, longstanding questions about the regulation of outer space take on new urgency.

Is the existing international legal framework sufficient to govern this shift, or will national laws and state-supported commercial initiatives create regulatory fragmentation? What responsibilities do states and private entities share in this evolving domain? Can trade, investment, and tax laws developed for earthbound commerce be extended to space-based activities?

Regulating Space-Based Commerce brings together leading voices from both legal and economic disciplines to explore these pressing questions. Moving beyond traditional space law, the book offers a fresh, external perspective that recognises the growing relevance of non-space-specific frameworks-such as trade, taxation, and investment-in regulating commercial activity beyond Earth.

The book is structured around three central themes: space resource management, the governance of space as a global commons, and the legal and regulatory challenges posed by security and private enterprise. The book provides a multi-angled platform, allowing readers to engage with each issue from several expert viewpoints.

With contributions from both established and emerging scholars, the book provides a timely, thought-provoking entry point into the interdisciplinary challenges shaping the future of space governance. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in the legal and economic architecture of space-based commerce.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Davies, Ronald

Francois, Joseph Francois

Polanco, Rodrigo

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationales Handels-, Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftsrecht
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtsvergleichung
• Rechtswissenschaften Ausländisches Recht Common Law (UK, USA, Australien u.a.)
• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationales See-, Luft- und Weltraumrecht

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Preface: Economics and Law of Space-based Commerce. A Personal Perspective, Jean-Claude Worms (Committee on Space Research, France)
2. Introduction: Why We Need Different Vantage Points to Understand Space-based Commerce? Ron Davies (University College Dublin, Ireland), Joseph Francois (World Trade Institute, Switzerland), and Rodrigo Polanco (World Trade Institute, Switzerland)

Part 1: Space Resource Management
3. Reappraising Liability in the Age of Autonomous Space Systems: An Economic Analysis of Law Approach, Roser Almenar (Space Generation Advisory Council, Spain)
4. From the Deep Seabed to Outer Space Resources: Lessons from UNCLOS for Regulating Space Resource Activities, Nathan Eastwood (Watson, Farley & Williams, Australia)
5. Quo vadis spatium arbitrium: Role and Future of International Law and Arbitration in Space-Related Disputes, Peng Wang (Xi'an Jiaotong University, China), and Maciej Zenkiewicz (Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland)
6. National Space Legislations and the Appropriability of Space Resources, Lesley Jane Smith and Lew Toepfer (Leuphana University Luneburg, Germany)

Part 2: Managing the Space Commons: Space Sustainability and Private Actors
7. Economic Growth in Space, Alessio Terzi (University of Cambridge, UK) and Francesco Nicoli (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
8. Putting a Price on Space, Joseph Francois (World Trade Institute, Switzerland) and Michael Francois (Google, Switzerland)
9. The Political Economy of Subsidizing Space Commerce, Ron Davies (University College Dublin, Ireland), Joseph Francois (World Trade Institute, Switzerland), and Rodrigo Polanco (World Trade Institute, Switzerland)
10. The Afterlife of Space Junk: Legal Ramifications of Recognizing Space Debris as a Resource for Space Manufacturing and ISRU, Kamil Muzyka (Polish Science Fiction Foundation) and Anna Hurova (Koretsky State and Law Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)
11. The Development of Space Debris Mitigation Measures at the National Level, Merve Erdem Burger (University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland)

Part 3: Space Law, National Security and Regulation of the Private Space Economy
12. Space Law and National Security, Krista Nadakavukaren Schefer (Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Switzerland) and Riccardo Loschi (Lalive, Switzerland)
13. China-Latin America Cooperation in Outer Space: Implications for the United States? Ana Soliz de Stange (Helmut-Schmidt-Universität, Germany)
14. Introduction to Space Taxation, Erika Isabella Scuderi (Vienna University of Economic and Business, Austria)
15. Allocating Taxing Rights for Off-Planet Mining, Damien Macedo (University of Cambridge, UK)

Über Autor(innen)

Francois, Joseph Francois
Joseph Francois is Managing Director and Professor of Economics at the World Trade Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland. He previously held roles such as Deputy Director of the NCCR Trade Regulation and Professor at Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Germany. He is affiliated with several research groups and serves on editorial boards. His past positions include roles at the World Trade Organization and the US International Trade Commission.

Davies, Ronald
Ronald Davies has been Professor of Economics at University College Dublin, Ireland, since 2008. He earned his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University in 1999 and previously taught at the University of Oregon, US. His research focuses on trade, foreign direct investment, and the impact of tax and trade policies on globalisation, with publications in several prominent economic journals.

Polanco, Rodrigo
Rodrigo Polanco is Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the World Trade Institute and Legal Advisor at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Switzerland.

Ron Davies is Professor of Economics at University College Dublin, Ireland.
Joseph Francois is Managing Director and Professor of Economics at the World Trade Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Rodrigo Polanco is Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the World Trade Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland, and Legal Adviser at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law.