Looking beyond development, this volume examines international trade, investment and finance law with a focus on poverty.

Re-imagining sovereign debt examines the extent to which sovereign debtors’ contractual obligations may be honoured where the socio-economic rights of their citizens face clear danger of non-realisation. It critiques the foundational legal paradigm that influences and shapes the substance of the sovereign debt regime. In doing this, the author employs legal theory to show the inadequacies of the regime in terms of its failure to embrace the dynamism of sovereign debt which he characterises as a debt with a complex mix of public-private elements, hybridity of norms and multiplicity of interests beyond the two-sided creditor-debtor matrix. By locating socio-economic rights in all critical phases of the regime, the author shows that the recurring circles of debt crises are linked to the continuing influence of the private law paradigm. The book offers a fresh perspective to re-imagine sovereign debt using insights from transnational legal theorists and advocates prioritising socio-economic rights considerations in debt contracting, restructuring and adjudication through a more concrete recognition of creditors’ responsibilities. Re-imagining sovereign debt will interest lawyers, policymakers, diplomats, scholars and researchers interested in the law, history and politics of sovereign debt.

Volume 7 of the EYIEL focusses on critical perspectives of international economic law. Recent protests against free trade agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) remind us that international economic law has always been a politically and legally contested field. This volume collects critical contributions on trade, investment, financial and other subfields of international economic law from scholars who have shaped this debate for many years. The critical contributions to this volume are challenged and sometimes rejected by commentators who have been invited to be “critical with the critics”. The result is a unique collection of critical essays accompanied by alternative and competing views on some of the most fundamental topics of international economic law. In its section on regional developments, EYIEL 7 addresses recent megaregional and plurilateral trade and investment agreements and negotiations. Short insights on various aspects of the Transpacific Partnership (TPP) and its sister TTIP are complemented with comments on other developments, including the African Tripartite FTA und the negotiations on a plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). Further sections address recent WTO and investment case law as well as recent developments concerning the IMF, UNCTAD and the WCO. The volume closes with reviews of recent books in international economic law.

This book demonstrates how the various legal efforts employed to eradicate global urban poverty also play a significant role in shaping it. Urban poverty has been widely examined as a social problem that requires attention and social commitment. Law is often seen as both an important contributor to the problem as well as a source of crucial tools to overcome it. In spite of this, however, poverty is surprisingly disregarded within legal scholarship. This book counters this by drawing on legal theory, legal history, and legal geography to inquire how urban poverty is made visible and invisible as a problem across global cities. More specifically, it investigates the mechanisms and networks through which global urban poverty has been conceptually and materially shaped in a way that fits the remit of global corporate philanthropy and the development aid agenda. By following law’s circuitous interactions with poverty knowledge and antipoverty interventions, the book demonstrates how it plays a historical role in making poverty seen, known, and remedied. As a result, the book argues, law consolidates a stable image of poverty as an essential ‘problem’ – to be uniformly found worldwide and so reasonably fixable with the appropriate legal reforms. Taking poverty to be a fundamental manifestation of social injustice, the book thus raises key questions about the role of law in the achievement of social justice. This innovative and insightful account of the relationship between law and poverty will appeal to scholars in critical and socio-legal studies, as well as others working in poverty studies, urban studies, development studies, geography, sociology, and social policy.

The book offers a comprehensive perspective on the highly topical issue of protecting and promoting labour standards in international economic law and the globalized economy. For the purpose of an in-depth analysis of both the specific and the fundamental aspects in this regard, it combines views from specialized academics of the legal and political sciences as well as experienced practitioners. The contributions to this book do not only reveal recurring obstacles but also point at best practices and potential for synergies, providing important guidance for future research and practice in international economic and labour law and policy.

The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of international economic law as a major force in the international legal system. This force has been severely tested by the economic crisis of 2008. Unable to prevent the crisis, the existing legal mechanisms have struggled to react against its direst consequences. This book brings together leading experts to analyse the main causes of the crisis and the role that international economic law has played in trying to prevent it, on the one hand, and worsening it, on the other. The work highlights the reaction and examines the tools that have been created by the international legal field to implement international cooperation in an effort to help put an end to the crisis and avoid similar events in the future. The volume brings together eminent legal academics and economists to examine key issues from the perspectives of trade law, financial law, and investment law with the collective aim of reform of international economic governance.

International investment law has often been seen as an obstacle to sustainable development. While the connections between investment and development are plain, for a long time there has been relatively little scholarship exploring them. Combining critical reflection and detailed analysis, this book addresses the relationship between contemporary investment law and development. The book is organized around two competing visions of investment and development - as working either harmoniously or in conflict with one another. The expert contributors reflect on both of these views and analyse the social dimensions of development and its impact on investment law. Coverage includes in-depth discussion on such issues as human rights, poverty reduction, labor standards, and indigenous peoples. Students and scholars of international investment law will benefit from the informed analysis of the links between investment and development. This book will also be of use to practitioners and experts of development law who are looking for an up-to-date perspective of the field.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty, Second Edition addresses the persistence of poverty across the globe while updating and expanding the landmark work, Encyclopedia of World Poverty, originally published in 2006 prior to the economic calamities of 2008. For instance, while continued high rates of income inequality might be unsurprising in developing countries such as Mexico, the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported in May 2013 even countries with historically low levels of income inequality have experienced significant increases over the past decade, including Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. The U.N. and the World Bank also emphasize the persistent nature of the problem. It is not all bad news. In March 2013, the Guardian newspaper reported, “Some of the poorest people in the world are becoming significantly less poor, according to a groundbreaking academic study which has taken a new approach to measuring deprivation. The report, by Oxford University’s poverty and human development initiative, predicts that countries among the most impoverished in the world could see acute poverty eradicated within 20 years if they continue at present rates.” On the other hand, the U.N. says environmental threats from climate change could push billions more into extreme poverty in coming decades. All of these points lead to the need for a revised, updated, and expanded edition of the Encyclopedia of World Poverty. Key Features: 775 evaluated and updated and 175 entirely new entries New Reader’s Guide categories Signed articles, with cross-references Further Readings will be accompanied by pedagogical elements Updated Chronology, Resource Guide, Glossary, and thorough new Index The SAGE Encyclopedia of World Poverty, Second Edition is a dependable source for students and researchers who are researching world poverty, making it a must-have reference for all academic libraries.

This book proposes a novel theory of justice in international trade law, examining what justice means and demands in this domain.

Imperialism and the Political Economy of Global South’s Debt recognises the systemic nature of the Global South’s external debt, revealed only further by the economic uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the need to analyse it in relation to existing imperialist structures.