The module will introduce and examine aspects of international economic law. It will provide an overview of the legal foundations of the global economy and the regulatory frameworks governing international economic relations. It will situate international economic law within a broader understanding of its interactions with other international and national, legal and non-legal processes, and its context.
The module aims to cover the following topics (non-exhaustive):
Introduction to the nature and sources of international economic law.
The law of international trade, such as the rules of the World Trade Organisation and preferential trade agreements (PTAs).
Global financial regulation and international monetary law, including the activities of the Bretton Woods institutions and sovereign debt restructuring mechanisms.
International investment law, including the relationship between foreign direct investment and state sovereignty, substantive standards of protection and dispute settlement mechanisms.
International economic law and development, including the role of the United Nations economic agencies, the World Bank and bilateral aid agencies.
Multilateral environmental regulation and their impact on international economic law and relations.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Identify the key institutions and processes of international economic law
Adopt a comparative perspective on international economic law and an understanding of its inter-disciplinarity, i.e. to situate legal norms and processes within their social, political and economic contexts
Demonstrate an understanding of how international economic law interacts with other spheres of international law, namely international law relating to social welfare and development, international human rights and multilateral environmental law
Engage in critical debate and analysis of the functions of international economic law, its future and the interplay with other aspects of public international law
Apply knowledge of the law to practical situations, both theoretically and empirically
Assessment
29677-01 : Essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessments: 6,000-word essay
Reassessment: This is a final year module