Interface 2.0 in Rules on State-Owned Enterprises: A Comparative Institutional Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 637-663
Author(s):  
Ru Ding

ABSTRACT Interface mechanisms in international economic law refer to international, regional, or domestic legal instruments that resolve problems arising from differences in economic systems. The existing interface mechanism regarding disciplining state-owned enterprises (SOEs)’ activities remains unclear and has led to disputes and a divergence of views among major trading partners, most notably between the United States and China. The underlying cause is the lack of an analytical framework to understand SOEs from a comparative view that may foster consensus-building discussions. This article constructs a comparative institutional framework to understand SOEs in a variety of market economy settings, which inspires new approaches in analyzing SOE-related legal issues in international economic law. This article takes the ‘public body’ issue in the WTO and the new disciplines on SOEs as examples, demonstrating that a type of activity-based approach can be a new interface mechanism for international rules on SOEs.

2019 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 374-378
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Erie

The Indo-Pacific, given its economic and geopolitical significance as exemplified by the growing multilateralism in the region, is an incubatory space for innovative legal infrastructure. Against the backdrop of growing tension between the United States and China in the region, I emphasize China's expanding footprint through the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) and its capacity to shape institutions, practices, and norms of international economic law. I begin by providing context and then suggest six ways in which the BRI may offer a novel approach to international economic law, with particular salience for the Indo-Pacific region.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasha L. Hsieh

This book provides the first systematic analysis of new Asian regionalism as a paradigm shift in international economic law. It argues that new Asian regionalism has emerged amid the Third Regionalism and contributed to the New Regional Economic Order, which reinvigorates the role of developing countries in shaping international trade norms. To substantiate the claims, the book introduces theoretical debates and evaluates major regional economic initiatives and institutions, including the ASEAN+6 framework, APEC, the CPTPP and the RCEP. It also sheds light on legal issues involving the US-China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as trade policies of Asian powers, the European Union and the United States. Hence, the legal analysis and case studies offer a fresh perspective of Asian integration and bridge the gap between academia and practice.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 979-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
ISABEL FEICHTNER

AbstractHow can I as an international lawyer, conscious that international law is deeply implicated in today's global injustices and that the course of history will not be changed by any grand legal design, practice law responsibly? Taking as a point of departure my own desire not to seek comfort in the formulation of a critique of law, but to aspire to a responsible practice, I consult two quite different bodies of work: first, critical theory of law and second, recent scholarship on international law that argues a practice guided by ethics may enhance the legitimacy of international law. I turn then to my own practice of international economic law focusing on my occasional role as legal expert on the so-called megaregionals the EU aims to conclude with Canada and the United States. I propose that the debate on international economic law lacks an investigation into the role of law in shaping political economy; that this lack can be explained by the compartmentalization of expertise which leads to justification gaps with respect to projects such as the megaregionals. One way lawyers can assume responsibility is to work on closing these gaps even if it means leaving the ‘inside’ of the legal discipline. Finally, I suggest that a responsible legal practice of social change might follow Roberto Unger's call for institutional imagination. Maybe I can satisfy my wish for a transformative practice by joining forces with friends in experimenting with institutions, hoping to build an alternative political economy.


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