Call for Papers: Society of International Economic Law Tenth Biennial Conference

A call for papers has been issued for the Society of International Economic Law's tenth biennial conference, which will take place July 7-9, 2027, in Christchurch, hosted by the University of Canterbury. The theme is: "Reimagining International Economic Law: Reasons, Challenges, and Future Directions." The call is here.

Conference: Africa and the future of international economic law: Navigating geopolitical realignments, sustainability imperatives and technological disruptions

The 8th Biennial Conference of the African International Economic Law Network (AfIELN) will take place June 24-26, 2026, at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Rabat, Morocco. The theme is: "Africa and the future of international economic law: Navigating geopolitical realignments, sustainability imperatives and technological disruptions." Details are here.

Call for Papers: International Economic Law in a Fractured Global Order

The Faculty of Law at Boğaziçi University has issued a call for papers for the third annual Boğaziçi International Law Conference, to be held June 13-14, 2026, in Istanbul. The theme is: "International Economic Law in a Fractured Global Order." The call is here. Abstracts can be submitted here by March 15, 2026.

Schefer, Polanco, & Sauvé: International Economic Law as Symphony: Thomas Cottier and the Harmonies of Trade

Krista Nadakavukaren Schefer (Swiss Institute of Comparative Law), Rodrigo Polanco (World Trade Institute; Swiss Institute of Comparative Law), & Pierre Sauvé (World Bank) have published International Economic Law as Symphony: Thomas Cottier and the Harmonies of Trade (Hart Publishing 2025). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

This open access book brings together some of the most eminent scholars of international trade to celebrate the scholarly, diplomatic, and institution-building achievements of Thomas Cottier, Professor Emeritus of International Economic Law at the University of Bern and founder of the World Trade Institute.

Over his half-century career, Thomas Cottier has promoted the development of international trade law by shaping our understanding of how multiple layers of law interact to form a global legal system. While multilateral trade law is the “melody” of the system, it is made fuller by a host of regional and national layers of harmonising – and sometimes discordant – legal rules.

Covering both general trade policy and the economic relations between Switzerland and the EU, the chapters examine Thomas Cottier's fundamental belief in the necessity of studying the interaction of every level of governance – local, national, and international – when considering the policies of economic exchange between countries, as well as his cosmopolitan belief in the need to foster a global community dedicated to bettering the lives of individuals around the world. The special relationship between the EU and Switzerland is addressed, honouring Professor Cottier's dedication to the political debates within Switzerland on the extent to which the country should participate in the European project, exemplifying the themes of multilayered governance and the common concerns of all people.

Conference: Towards a Global Ecological-Economic Legal Framework – Looking Ahead to Paris: Global Legal Dialogues for a Sustainable Future

On June 6-7, 2025, a conference will be held on “Towards a Global Ecological-Economic Legal Framework – Looking Ahead to Paris: Global Legal Dialogues for a Sustainable Future” at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Details are here.

Conference: Society of International Economic Law Ninth Biennial Conference

On July 9-11, 2025, the Society of International Economic Law will hold its ninth biennial conference in Taipei. The theme is: "Navigating New Horizons: International Economic Law in a Changing World." Details are here.

Arato: The Institutions of Exceptions

Julian Arato (Univ. of Michigan - Law) has posted The Institutions of Exceptions (Michigan Journal of International Law, forthcoming). Here's the abstract:

International economic law binds states’ hands in the interest of liberalizing markets in various ways, including cross border trade in goods and services (trade) and capital (investment). The treaty regimes for both trade and investment do this by disciplining states through legal rules, while preserving a modicum of governmental power over policy. Though not always recognized as such, the preservation of policy space in these regimes typically involves exceptions-style reasoning by adjudicators – formally in the case of most trade and some investment treaties, and informally in the investment treaty regime more generally. This "exceptions paradigm" of justification has worked well in the trade regime, where it has been especially key to securing a workable balance between market disciplines and regulatory policy space in the WTO/GATT context. But it has been less successful at striking a reasonable balance in the investment regime – irrespective of whether the paradigm has been formally codified in an exceptions clause. This Article seeks to explain why, by focusing on the institutions within which this mode of justification is embedded. Certain institutional differences between these regimes help explain the varied success of exceptionalism in trade and investment, in particular: the right of action (public vs private); the degree of judicial centralization (ad hoc arbitration vs court system); and the available remedies (retrospective compensation vs prospective injunctive relief). I argue that it is trade law’s public-oriented institutions that have made the exceptions clause workable – not the other way around. By contrast, investment law’s private-oriented institutions make that system particularly inhospitable to exceptions-style justification.

Clark: Cooperative Complexity: The Next Level of Global Economic Governance

Richard Clark (Univ. of Notre Dame - Political Science) has published Cooperative Complexity: The Next Level of Global Economic Governance (Cambridge Univ. Press 2025). Here's the abstract:

Over the course of the twentieth century, states engaged in cooperation through international organizations at unprecedented levels. However, the twenty-first century has featured the emergence of next-level forms of cooperation: international organizations working together. This pattern is especially apparent among economic international organizations, which often pool resources and expertise to jointly implement programs in member state territories. Cooperative Complexity argues that such cooperation is politically efficient but not necessarily economically efficient; it helps geopolitically aligned organizations enforce their preferred policies but can drive inefficient economic outcomes. Combining a general theoretical model with quantitative, qualitative, and experimental research designs, this book disentangles the complex ties that connect international organizations. In doing so, it reveals how a deeper understanding of the supply side of international finance is critical for gaining insights about the form, effectiveness, and likely future of global economic governance.

Wu, Lin, & Liu: Economic Cooperation in the Shadow of Contested Sovereignty

Chien-Huei Wu (Academia Sinica), Ching-Fu Lin (National Tsing Hua Univ​.), & Han-Wei Liu (Singapore Management Univ.) have published Economic Cooperation in the Shadow of Contested Sovereignty (Hart Publishing 2025). Here's the abstract:

This open access book is the first of its kind to address a question of both theoretical and practical significance: how do countries or entities approach economic cooperation in the face of vexing political concerns and overlapping sovereignty claims?

Built upon three contemporary case studies on North-South Korea, China-Taiwan, and North-South Cyprus – representative pairs of 'divided nations', broadly defined – the book explores from both an empirical and a conceptual perspective the underlying factors, approaches and patterns that influence the economic relationship between the two sides.

The book examines complex dynamics and identifies critical factors across the case studies, making a timely contribution to debates surrounding sovereignty, democracy and legitimacy in the context of international economic laws given the shifting geopolitical landscape. It further informs countries that do not share the same features of divided nations but nonetheless experience diplomatic crises or military conflicts, which render their economic cooperation sensitive and strenuous.

Call for Papers: 9th Asian International Economic Law Network Conference

A call for papers has been issued for the 9th Asian International Economic Law Network (AIELN) Conference, which will take place June 14-15, 2025, at Senshu University, Tokyo. The theme is: "Geopolitical Risks and Geoeconomics in International Economic Law: Asian Perspectives and Beyond." The call is here.

Workshop: Rethinking the Dimensions of International Economic Law

On September 13-14, 2024, the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University will host the Purdy Crawford Workshop on International Business Law. The theme is: "Rethinking the Dimensions of International Economic Law." The program is here. Registration is here.

Call for Papers: ASIL International Economic Law Interest Group Biennial Conference

The American Society of International Law International Economic Law Interest Group has issued a call for papers for its biennial conference, which will take place May 16-17, 2025, at University of Michigan Law School. The theme is: “New Tools Instead of Old Rules? The Changing Instruments of International Economic Law.” The call is here.

El Boudouhi, Dubin, & Bachand: Le droit international économique en question: vers l’émergence d’un nouveau paradigme?

Saïda El Boudouhi (Université Paris 8 - Law), Laurence Dubin (Université Paris 1 - Law) & Rémi Bachand (Université du Québec à Montréal - Law) have published Le droit international économique en question: vers l’émergence d’un nouveau paradigme? (Pedone 2024). The table of contents is here. Here's the abstract:

Slowbalisation, démondialisation, remondialisation, etc. sont autant de vocables pour désigner, depuis quelques années, les bouleversements inédits des relations économiques internationales. Celles-ci seraient à un tournant de leur évolution relativement linéaire depuis la mise en place, puis l’approfondissent du système commercial multilatéral. A l'heure d'une crise évidente de ce dernier, d'une remise en question massive de l'arbitrage d'investissement, n'assiste-t-on pas à un changement de paradigme dans les principales discipline du droit international économique ? Loin de viser à établir un agenda pour un changement de paradigme qui pourrait être une mondialisation plus équitable ou un libre-échange plus raisonné, le présent ouvrage est surtout le produit de l'invitation lancées aux différents contributeurs à (re-)questionner le paradigme dominant à l’œuvre dans leur domaine d'expertise et à se lancer dans la recherche d'un hypothétique nouveau paradigme à travers l'examen tout autant du droit positif que du discours politique. Finalement, la question posée en intitulé de cet ouvrage du changement de paradigme permet d'offrir une certaine perspective critique et un regard distancié sur le droit positif pour en pointer autant les insuffisances que les possibles évolutions structurelles.

Call for Papers: South Asia International Economic Law Network Fourth Biennial Conference

A call for papers has been issued for the South Asia International Economic Law Network's Fourth Biennial Conference, to take place December 16-18, 2024, in Colombo. The theme is: "Local Approaches to International Economic Law." The call is here.

Call for Papers: Society of International Economic Law Ninth Biennial Conference

A call for papers has been issued for the Society of International Economic Law's ninth biennial conference, which will take place July 9-11, 2025, in Taipei, in collaboration with the National Taiwan University. The theme is: "Navigating New Horizons: International Economic Law in a Changing World." The call is here.

Call for Papers: 12th Conference of the Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network of SIEL

A call for papers has been issued for the 12th Conference of the Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network of the Society of International Economic Law, to be held July 3-4, 2024, in Hong Kong. The call is here.

Call for Papers: African International Economic Law Network 7th Biennial (Bridge) Conference

The African International Economic Law Network has issued a call for papers for its 7th Biennial (Bridge) Conference, to take place July 18-20, 2024, in Dar es Salaam. The theme is: "A Critical Appraisal of the Status and Implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and Its Protocols." The call is here.

Webinar Series: Climate Change and International Economic Law: Where are we headed?

A webinar series will be held on November 3, 6, and 8, 2023, on “Climate Change and International Economic Law: Where are we headed?”, sponsored by the University of Göttingen, the University of Bern, and the Università della Svizzera Italiana. Details are here.

Mercurio: Capital Controls and International Economic Law

Bryan Mercurio (Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong - Law) has published Capital Controls and International Economic Law (Cambridge Univ. Press 2023). Here's the abstract:

Focusing on capital controls, this study provides rigorous legal analysis to establish whether the mandate of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) extends to the capital account; that is, whether the IMF has the authority to control and/or regulate the use of capital controls by its member states. The book then analyses whether a country's use of capital controls is consistent with the obligations and commitments undertaken in various multilateral and bilateral trade and investment agreements. Finally, it analyses the tension within international economic law, as the IMF now encourages the use of capital controls under certain circumstances, while most trade/investment agreements prohibit or limit their use. Proposing a way forward to alleviate the tension and construct a more harmonious relationship between the norms and standards of finance, trade and investment, this study will be essential reading for policymakers.

Conference: 6th Biennial Conference of the African International Economic Law Network

On June 21-24, 2023, the African International Economic Law Network will hold its 6th Biennial Conference at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, in Accra. The theme is: "International Economic Law in an Era of Multiple Crises: Opportunities and Challenges for Africa." The draft program is here. Registration is here.