Axel Marx is Deputy Director at the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, KU Leuven. Founded in 2007, the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies is an interdisciplinary research centre of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the KU Leuven (University of Leuven).  Marx has been involved as a research manager and senior researcher since its foundation. It was set up to promote, support and carry out high-quality international, innovative and interdisciplinary research on global governance. In addition to its fundamental research activities the Centre carries out independent applied research and offers innovative policy advice and solutions to policy-makers on multilateral governance and global public policy issues. Since 2010, the Centre has been recognized as a KU Leuven Centre of Excellence and since 2016 as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. Marx has managed over 40 funded research projects including multi-team and international FP7 and Horizon 2020 projects and acted as a consultant to several national and international organizations including the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions, International Labour Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the OECD, IDEA, Worldbank, the Belgian, Dutch and German Governments. His academic publications (100+) have appeared in four dozen leading international peer reviewed journals and 6 languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese). As a guest lecturer he has thought inter alia at European University Institute and China University of Political Science and Law. His research interests include voluntary sustainability standards, human rights, global governance, governance through trade, EU trade policy and comparative case methods.Axel Marx is Deputy Director at the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, KU Leuven. Founded in 2007, the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies is an interdisciplinary research centre of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the KU Leuven (University of Leuven).  Marx has been involved as a research manager and senior researcher since its foundation. It was set up to promote, support and carry out high-quality international, innovative and interdisciplinary research on global governance. In addition to its fundamental research activities the Centre carries out independent applied research and offers innovative policy advice and solutions to policy-makers on multilateral governance and global public policy issues. Since 2010, the Centre has been recognized as a KU Leuven Centre of Excellence and since 2016 as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. Marx has managed over 40 funded research projects including multi-team and international FP7 and Horizon 2020 projects and acted as a consultant to several national and international organizations including the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions, International Labour Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the OECD, IDEA, Worldbank, the Belgian, Dutch and German Governments. His academic publications (100+) have appeared in four dozen leading international peer reviewed journals and 6 languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Chinese). As a guest lecturer he has thought inter alia at European University Institute and China University of Political Science and Law. His research interests include voluntary sustainability standards, human rights, global governance, governance through trade, EU trade policy and comparative case methods.