International trade and investment agreements are problematic from a participatory rights perspective because they are typically negotiated without adequate opportunities for participation of the public. Such agreements provide for disputes concerning public policy to be decided by private...

Vietnam is the second Asian country, after Singapore, to sign a trade and investment agreement with the European Union (“EU”). While opinions regarding its desirability from a human rights perspective differ, it should be noted that the EU is the 5th largest direct investor in Vietnam,...

This is a comparative study on what is meant by sustainable development and the role of investment treaties. By examining the position of South Africa and Kenya, it ventures to scrutinize Bilateral Investment Treaties and whether they contribute to sustainable development. The two countries are...

Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) are part of the foundation of agriculture and of central importance to food sovereignty. These gain an increasingly pivotal role in the context of climate crises, which are threatening predictable crop production, and the erosion of...

This paper analyzes the impact of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) on sovereign bond returns of 25 emerging markets from 1993 to 2016. Under a BIT, foreign investors can use an international arbitration scheme to enforce compensation claims against the domestic government in case of direct...

International environmental agreements (IEAs) address cross-border public goods, therefore they are faced with free-riding problems. Generally, the incentives of states to comply with such treaties are low as the benefits of compliance do not always outweigh the cost. Previous literature has...

The transformation from Kyoto to Paris has been analysed by international relations scholars, international law, and transnational governance theory. The international relations literature looks at the climate regime from a perspective of power distribution, state interests, institutions, and...

This paper explores how regulatory responses to emerging IP issues in digital trade may develop at the international level and in particular how existing mechanisms might influence the chances of developing internationally agreed rules in this regard. The primacy of state sovereignty in...