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About Us

We advocate in favor of transparent, objective, scientifically and economically benchmarked and justified, market-driven, relevant standards and regulations, and strong recognition, protection and enforcement of exclusive private property assets and rights. Such measures play an indispensable role in facilitating the international trade and investment flows, technological innovations, economic growth, social justice and environmental protection necessary to achieve a positive paradigm of sustainable development.

We question the sustainability of trade and development assistance programs extended to developing countries that call for adoption and implementation of costly and administratively burdensome hazard-based environment, health and safety standards and regulations, and/or for the recognition, use and enforcement of private property assets and rights conditioned upon ‘public interest’ concerns (e.g., universal access to healthcare, knowledge, etc.). Such measures have the effect of stifling local research and development efforts, technology transfer and dissemination, and entrepreneurship in such countries, as well as, critical foreign direct investment.

We find and explain that when standards and regulations are not scientifically, technically and/or economically justified and are not developed in an open, inclusive and transparent manner, and when exclusive private property assets and rights are continually being legislatively or judicially redefined by reference to popular social policies, there is a real and present danger that standards and regulations may be utilized without accountability for ideological and/or political purposes, as self-serving disguised non-tariff protectionist barriers to trade, investment and innovation, and as instruments of social change designed to circumvent the rule of law and to deny individuals their constitutional rights and liberties, including their substantive and procedural right to due process of law.

ITSSD Board of Advisors

The ITSSD Board of Advisors is comprised of informed professionals who are leaders in their respective fields and conversant in the four international languages – science, economics, law and politics:

Sohail H. Zaidi, Ph.D., MBA, M.SC.
Sorin R. Straja, Ph.D.
Robert P. Stein, Ph.D.
O.Lee Reed
C.S. Prakash, Ph.D.
Slavi Pachovski, Ph.D., JD
Bruce J. Moran, MBA
Alan Moghissi, Ph.D.
Dennis K. McBride, Ph.D., MPA
Robert C. Livingston, Ph.D.
John Kilama, Ph.D.
William E. Kelly, Ph.D., P.E.
Yanzhong, Huang, Ph.D.
​Pat Choate, Ph.D.​
​Anita Bradley, B.S., ACS, NAEP

Entity Profile

[INSTITUTE FOR TRADE, STANDARDS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, INC.]

Type: Not-for-profit New Jersey corporation
Tax Status: A public charity exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, contributions to which are tax-deductible
Founded: 2001
Reorganized: 2005
CEO/President: Lawrence A. Kogan
Vice President: Dennis McBride
Treasurer: David Pei
Areas of expertise:
International and comparative economic trade and regulatory science law and policy research, related national security matters, property rights, analytics and advocacy

Since the fall of 2006, the ITSSD’s Internship Program has enabled the ITSSD to share its real world experience and knowledge with university students. The program’s goal has been to foster the development of competent, cognizant and capable future business and legal professionals possessing a global purview. Consistent with the ITSSD’s mission, the program focuses on helping students to appreciate the indispensable role served by private property rights, the rule of law, good governance, best available science, economic cost-benefit analysis and legal due process in the continuously evolving international regulatory, technical standards and property rights systems. The ITSSD’s Internship Program has hosted student interns from Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations, George Washington University’s Elliot School of International Affairs, Rutgers University’s School of Arts and Sciences and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and Fox School of Business. ITSSD interns have successfully secured subsequent summer and permanent positions in industry, legal, governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

The ITSSD is open to commencing student internship programs (with or without course credit) with any interested graduate law, business and/or international relations program. Students are invited to apply directly by submitting a cover letter, resume and a writing sample to info@itssd.org.