Call for Papers: Multilateralism and Regionalism in Global Economic Governance: Trade, Investment and Finance

A call for papers has been issued by the Asian International Economic Law Network for its inaugural conference, August 3, 2009, at the University of Tokyo. The conference theme is: "Multilateralism and Regionalism in Global Economic Governance: Trade, Investment and Finance." Here's the call:

General information

The theme of the Conference is: “Multilateralism and Regionalism in Global Economic Governance: Trade, Investment and Finance”.

The Call for Papers for this Conference concerns two different types of papers: (1) Those for the Kick-off Panel Discussion on the Main Theme (Panel 1) and the Wrap-up Panel Discussion on the Main Theme (Panel 4), and (2) those for three Thematic Panels on Trade, Investment and Finance (Panels 2, 3 and 5).

The Organizing Committee seeks to encourage the participation in the Conference of international economic lawyers, whether young professionals or established scholars, academics or practitioners, by inviting submissions of paper proposals for speakers in all Panels.

Speakers will be selected through a competitive process without any prejudice to factors such as race, gender, language, religious background and geographical location. Papers of the speakers will be selected by the Selection Committee.

Note should be taken that presentation shall be made only in English.

All speakers at the Conference must be members of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL). A non-member may respond to the Call for Papers but if selected, will be expected to join promptly. For instruction as to how to sign up for SIEL, please refer to: http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=98112

Please note that the standard rate of SIEL membership is £85@year, but there are discounts available for students, academics and government officials and those who work for NGOs. Additional discounts are available for people from developing countries. Also, please note that benefits for SIEL members include discounted rates for SIEL meetings, discounts on subscription to several renowned journals, discounted rates on all or some titles from Cambridge University Press, Cameron May publishers, Hart Publishing, among others. For the details of the benefits of SIEL membership, please refer to: http://www.sielnet.org/Default.aspx?pageId=106037

Call for papers for Panels 1 and 4

Concepts and objectives: These Panels will discuss general issues of multilateralism and regionalism in global economic governance. Panel 1 will be focused on finding what problems and challenges we are facing in governing the global economy, particularly on how to coordinate multilateralism and regionalism in global economic governance. While the decades-old multilateral institutions governing the global economy (IMF, WTO, Basel Committee, etc.) are facing serious challenges in the effective governance of a globalizing world economy, regional agreements and institutions (EU, ASEAN, FTAs, regional financial cooperation mechanisms, etc.) are rising as forces in the governance of the global as well as regional economy. The challenges are, therefore, not the lack of institutions, both multilateral and regional, governing the global economy, but the lack of coordination between these multilateral and regional mechanisms.

Papers for Panel 1 should seek to discuss the reasons for the current impasse of multilateral institutions for global economic governance, the reasons for the current surge of regionalism, and the challenges for coordinating multilateralism and regionalism in global economic governance. Both comprehensive analyses and sector-specific analyses (focusing on trade, investment or finance) will be welcome. Also, both historic analyses and analyses of the present state will be welcome. Finally, analyses focusing on a specific region, Asia in particular, and comparative regional analyses will be welcome.

Panel 4 will be focused on finding solutions to the problems and challenges we are facing in governing the global economy, and may contain constructive policy proposals for improving global economic governance. Improvement of global economic governance may take the form of reforming the existing multilateral and/or regional institutions, establishing new ones, or better coordinating existing multilateral and regional institutions. As in Panel 1, both comprehensive proposals and sector-specific proposals will be welcome. Also, region-specific and comparative regional analyses will be welcome.

An applicant is required to provide his or her application in accordance with the conditions as mentioned below.

Call for papers for Panels 2, 3 and 5

The themes of these Panels are fixed as follows:

Panel 2 – Multilateral and Regional Governance of Trade

Panel 3 – Multilateral and Regional Governance of Investment

Panel 5 – Multilateral and Regional Governance of Finance

Panel 2 – Multilateral and Regional Governance of Trade

Concept and objective: With the delayed and stalled Doha negotiation, multilateral trade governance seems to be in a stalemate. On the other hand, a growing number of bilateral and regional FTAs are concluded for the purpose of enhancing trade and investment among the parties, but they are bringing about an associate issue of the “spaghetti bowl” effect. What should be done to reinvigorate the Doha negotiation? What should be done to get rid of the “spaghetti bowl”? How can we coordinate multilateral and regional governance of trade? Both papers focusing on WTO and on FTAs will be welcome. Also, papers focusing on the coordination problem will be welcome. Finally, papers focusing on a specific region, Asia in particular, and those conducting comparative regional analyses will be welcome.

Panel 3 – Multilateral and Regional Governance of Investment

Concept and objective: The failed attempts of establishing multilateral rules for investment (MAI in 1998, WTO Geneva Ministerial of 2004) seem to have accelerated the move toward bilateral and regional promotion and protection of foreign investment. The increasing number of investor-state arbitrations may support the view that, at least for the time being, bilateral and regional governance of investment through BITs and investment chapters of FTAs will be a prevailing means of governing foreign investment. However, accumulation of investor-state arbitration is causing issues of conflicting arbitral awards, forum shopping, etc., that needs coordination at multilateral level.

How shall we assess the current state of play in the governance of investment? Will there be the possibility of a multilateral investment agreement (or institution)? If so, what role should it play in relation to the existing BITs and investment chapters present in some FTAs? Both reflections of historical development and prognosis of future governance structure will be welcome. Also, both global and regional analyses, in particular Asia-focused ones, will be welcome.

Panel 5 – Multilateral and Regional Governance of Finance

Concept and objective: The contemporary global financial crisis has its roots in the subprime mortgage crisis in the U.S.A. since 2007, and has developed perhaps into a “once in a century” panic worldwide. The decades-old Bretton Woods institutions, in particular the IMF, have proved ineffective in preventing and solving the crisis. Also, the twenty-year old Basel Accord appears not to have prevented the occurrence of the subprime mortgage crisis. Instead, a new framework for governing finance is being sought, e.g., G20, and Miyazawa Initiative in East and Southeast Asia.

What went wrong with the existing multilateral institutions and rules? What role should a new regional financial framework or initiative play in solving the current financial crisis and in preventing future ones? Both comprehensive and region-specific analyses, in particular those focusing on Asia, will be welcome. Also, both problem-finding and problem-solving analyses will be welcome.

An applicant is required to provide his or her application in accordance with the conditions as mentioned below.

Instructions for paper submitters

An applicant is required to submit his or her paper proposal of 500 to 800 words to: aieln1papers@gmail.com in MS WORD file. The submission deadline is 28 February 2009 (23:00 Japan standard time, or GMT 14:00).

The result will be announced to all the applicants by e-mail by 30 April 2009.

The following content needs to be included in the submission:

1. Title of the paper with keywords (up to 5 words).

2. Paper proposal as an attached file. (1 and 2 should be in the same file)

3. Name of applicant.

4. Affiliation of applicant.

5. Mailing address for contact person.

6. E-mail address of applicant.

7. Telephone number (including country code) for contact person.

8. The name (number) of the Panel to which the proposal is submitted. (3 through 8 should be in the text of the e-mail. Please note that they should not be in the paper proposal in supra 2.)

9. CV and major publications and presentations of applicant in an attached file (in either MS WORD or PDF file).

Those selected as speakers are required to submit his or her full papers by 30 June 2009. The time allocated to each speaker is 15 minutes. Speakers can submit a full paper which may require more than 15 minutes for presentation. However, even in this case, the number of words of the full paper should be no more than 6,000 words including citations.

The Organizing Committee is planning to publish the result of the Conference in a book, though it has not concluded a contract with any publishing house yet. The speakers may be advised to write a longer paper for publication. They will be informed of the instruction for publication after the Conference.