Law Commons^™

A Higher Authority: Canada’S Cannabis Legalization In The Context Of International Law, Antonia Eliason, Robert Howse

Michigan Journal of International Law

Part I of this Article provides an overview of some of the key terms and provisions of Canada’s Cannabis Act. Part II looks at the Cannabis Act in the context of the International Drug Conventions, examining how the various convention provisions might apply, looking first at the Single Convention and then at the 1988 Convention and how that convention fits with Canadian constitutional provisions. Part III focuses on the international human rights framework and how the Cannabis Act might be viewed as compatible with international human rights law even where incompatible with the International Drug Conventions. This Part also offers …

Tarrification Of The Coastwise Trade Laws, Keith E. Diggs

Michigan Law Review

The coastwise trade laws prohibit foreign vessels and mariners from transporting goods or passengers between American ports. These anticompetitive laws punish American producers and consumers yet barely sustain a dwindling merchant marine. Every attempt to repeal the laws encounters insurmountable political resistance. Reformers of the coastwise trade laws, then, should instead try to convert the prohibition on foreign involvement into a tariff.

Paper Compliance: How China Implements Wto Decisions , Timothy Webster

Michigan Journal of International Law

China’s growing economic and military clout generates scrutiny, optimism, insecurity, opportunism, opprobrium, and unease around the world, especially in the United States. Many question China’s role on the world stage. Politicians and academics openly doubt China abides by international law and other global standards of state conduct promulgated by Western liberal democracies since the end of World War II. The game may change—international trade, territorial and maritime disputes, environmental law, human rights, arms control, riparian rights, cyber-crime, endangered species—but the concern remains the same: is China an international scofflaw?

State Power, Religion, And Women's Rights: A Comparative Analysis Of Family Law, Mala Htun, S. Laurel Weldon

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Examining cross-national variation in family law, we find that many countries have reformed to promote sex equality. Yet a significant group retains older laws that discriminate against women. These variations reflect the diverse institutional legacies of these societies, conforming closely-but not entirely-to inherited legal traditions: civil law, common law, and postsocialist countries are the most egalitarian, while countries applying religious law are the least. Yet change is possible, even in unlikely contexts. Political conjunctures that disarm religious, nationalist, and fundamentalist opponents can open windows of opportunity for liberalizing reform.

Human Rights and Legal Systems Across the Global South, Symposium, Indiana …

Post-Wto China Tax Law System Reform And The Rule Of Law: Progress And Prospects, Tianlong Hu

SJD Dissertations

A close examination of China's accession commitments reveals that effective economic reform and trade liberalization call for substantiations from a matching legal infrastructure reform. For example, taxpayers' rights protection should be viewed in terms of broader political and civil rights reform. Indeed, a number of the values featured in the WTO principles and the rule of law framework encourage China's further integration into both the global trade network and the international human rights regime. This is particularly evident in the Chinese tax law context. WTO principles and the rule of law requirements must be introduced and evaluated together in tax …

Substance, Procedure, And Institutions In The International Harmonization Of Competition Policy, Daniel A. Crane

Articles

Many people who pay attention to the rapid development of antitrust regimes across the globe hold two tenets in common. First, most of the relevant stakeholders would benefit if competition policy could be harmonized interjurisdictionally.' Second, and alas, this beneficial harmonization is unlikely to happen on a significant scale in the foreseeable future.2 To many, antitrust harmonization is thus a noble but utopian aspiration. I generally share both the former sentiment and the latter lament but both are far too general to be of much use without further specification. Uniformity of competition policy is valuable to be sure, but not …

Metals Or Management? Explaining Africa's Recent Economic Growth Spurt, Laura Nyantung Beny, Lisa D. Cook

Articles

Explanations for Africa's poor long-run growth performance have varied over time. The theories examined include geography (Jeffrey D. Sachs and Andrew Warner 1997); institutions (William Easterly and Ross Levine 1997; Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson 2001, 2002; Nathan Nunn 2007, 2008); health (David Bloom and Sachs 1998; Gregory N. Price 2003); and economic dependency (William Darity 1982). More recently, economists have attempted to explain what The Economist has called Africa's new "period of unparalleled economic success" (The Economist 2008a, 33). Average annual real GDP growth was 1.8 percent between 1980 and 1989 and increased to 4.4 percent between …

The High Stakes Of Wto Reform, James Thuo Gathii

Michigan Law Review

Behind the Scenes at the WTO definitively exposes how the trade negotiation process makes it possible for a few rich countries to dominate the trade agenda at the expense of all other countries. It is one of the first studies that authoritatively shows how trade negotiations have developed into "a game for high stakes, between unequally matched teams, where much of the game is played with few rules and no referee" (p. 50). The book attributes the deadlocked nature of the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations and the recent disruptions of the World Trade Organization's ("WTO") ministerial meetings to …

Reformulated Gasoline Under Reformulated Wto Dispute Settlement Procedures: Pulling Pandora Out Of A Chapeau?, Jeffrey Waincymer

Michigan Journal of International Law

Part I of the article begins by outlining existing GATT/WTO provisions concerning trade-related environmental measures which were relevant to the Reformulated Gasoline case. Part II then outlines the facts in the dispute and gives a brief introduction to the decisions at the Panel and Appellate Body stages. Part III deals with the present and potential implications for the appellate process in terms of the substance of the dispute, the methodology and procedure adopted, and the wider issues that the case brings to attention. This Part also addresses some of the theoretical and practical issues that affect the question of the …

Theft By Territorialism: A Case For Revising Trips To Protect Trademarks From National Market Foreclosure, Beth Fulkerson

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Note will argue that the "well-known mark" standard of the Paris Convention, which is also adopted by the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, Including Trade in Counterfeit Goods (TRIPS), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the European Community (EC), is an artifact of an era when markets were circumscribed by national borders and granting a monopoly on a trademark in one country on the basis of its use in another was unreasonable because the likelihood of confusion was minimal. Today, however, the trademark originator's intent to expand beyond its original market should be presumed. …

World Trade And The Environment: The Cafe Case, Eric Phillips

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Note examines the CAFE case in the context of the debate over trade and the environment. It argues that the panel decision has aspects that support the notion that the international trading system can be compatible with efforts to protect the environment, and also has aspects that demonstrate that these do indeed clash, limiting efforts to protect the environment. Part I of this Note describes the CAFE law and places it in the context of domestic and international efforts to prevent global warming. Part II examines the panel's decision, arguing that the panel acted well within the scope of …

Bringing Down Private Trade Barriers- An Assessment Of The United States' Unilateral Options: Section 301 Of The 1974 Trade Act And Extraterritorial Applications Of U.S. Antitrust Law, Aubry D. Smith

Michigan Journal of International Law

This note examines how the antitrust and trade law options operate, with the two-fold purpose of providing some idea of their potential effectiveness and also suggesting what limitations, if any, should be placed on their use. Parts I and II analyze the mechanics of applying the antitrust and Section 301 remedies to eliminate foreign trade-restrictive business practices. In light of this discussion of how the two processes work, Part III considers whether they are likely to get out of control and suggests how they ought to be restrained. Part III finds that Section 301 is subject to a number of …

Thailand's Labor And Employment Law: Balancing The Demands Of A Newly Industrializing State, W. Gary Vause, Nikom Chandravithun

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

This article provides a comparative overview of Thailand's labor law, one of the principal considerations for prospective investors. The legal system is analyzed from the perspective of a U.S. investor; to provide a familiar frame of reference, comparisons are made throughout the analysis to labor law in the United States. Observations also are offered on the important extra-legal aspects of employment in Thailand, such as the implications of Thai culture for the employer-employee relationship.

Above All, Do No Harm: The Application Of The Exon-Florio Amendment To Dual-Use Technologies, Gerald T. Nowak

Michigan Journal of International Law

In support of this proposition, this Note will first examine the legislative history and executive enforcement of the Exon-Florio Amendment, followed by a discussion of the goals of Exon-Florio and the applicability of Exon-Florio to dual-use technologies. Then, after an examination of the attitudes and experience of the European Community with regards to such protectionism, specifically in France and the United Kingdom, this Note will argue that vigorous enforcement of the Exon-Florio Amendment, and a fortiori passage of the Technology Preservation Act, is likely to result in less, not more, domestic production of dual-use technologies. As a matter of defense …

International Trade And Investment Regulation: Developing Jurisprudence In Taiwan, Paul S.P. Hsu

Michigan Journal of International Law

Past and present economic development in the Republic of China has provided a model for a successful experiment whereby a society under a workable economic and social system with very limited natural resources makes the most of what it has. Yet, the momentum of the development will not permit the R.O.C. to rest at its present stage or to reminisce about past achievements. Clearly, many more stages of economic development lie ahead. Other industrially advanced nations that operate under similar limitations, such as the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, have higher per capita income, better quality of life, and a more …

A New Export Policy: The Foreign Sales Corporation And State Unitary Taxation Of Foreign Source Income, Reed D. Rubinstein

Michigan Journal of International Law

Part I of this note will examine the structure of the FSC, and analyze its potential benefits in light of the Domestic International Sales Corporation (DISC) tax incentive. Part II discusses the use of the unitary tax as a disincentive to direct foreign investment by U.S. corporations. Finally, Part III outlines the new export policy based upon a combination of the FSC export incentive and state unitary taxation of foreign-source income. If implemented, this policy would increase export production and discourage direct foreign investment, thereby making a substantial contribution to U.S. economic well-being.

Industrial Policy In The Field Of Informatics In Brazil, Walter Douglas Stuber

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article first presents a brief overview of Brazilian industrial development. This overview provides a basis for understanding how the Brazilian Government's informatics policy differs from past Brazilian industrial models. The article then describes the Brazilian Government's policy in the field of informatics. It concludes that a policy which is less protectionist than the government's current program would, through allowing greater foreign participation in the market, better encourage the development of Brazilian informatic companies.

Building The Case For Industrial Strategy, David E, Bonior

Michigan Journal of International Law

The argument for an industrial strategy begins with the failures of present policies. The indictment is not concerned with the relative simplicity or elegance of competing economic theories but with actual results in the world marketplace. The case for an industrial strategy is not primarily about compassion, or about full employment, or even about economic growth. While we desperately need a compassionate economic policy, full employment, and sustained economic growth, these are goals. The industrial policy debate is not a debate about goals, but means. The argument rests on the premise that the old means must be changed because the …

A Labor View Of Industrial Policy, Henry B. Schechter

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article discusses the following topics: secular economic decline, factors in the loss of U.S. competitive position, foreign industrial policies, a labor-endorsed legislative proposal for an industrial policy, and supplementary measures that are required for a successful industrial policy.

Attacking The Trade Deficit, Dennis Unkovic

Michigan Journal of International Law

In the United States (U.S.), policy planning for industrial development is not new. The federal government currently formulates and implements policies designed to foster the growth of the industrial sector. The current debate should not focus on the merits of a comprehensive national industrial policy over federal non-involvement, rather it should address the degree to which the federal government should become involved in specific areas affecting industrial development. This article will analyze the appropriate role for the federal government in its efforts to eliminate the current U.S. balance of trade deficit.

Enterprise Zones As Tools Of Urban Industrial Policy, Benedicte E. F. Mathijsen

Michigan Journal of International Law

This note examines the operation of the enterprise zone program in the United Kingdom and considers the program's implications for the United States (U.S.), which also suffers from urban industrial decay and which has now begun studying proposals for an enterprise zone program of its own. The note concludes that, based on the limited data available thus far, the enterprise zone program alone is inadequate to lure industry back to depressed areas. The success of the enterprise zones depends in large measure upon parallel government programs, suggesting that the zones cannot be viewed as potential replacements of existing government aid …

The United States Specialty Steel Industry, Michael H. Leb

Michigan Journal of International Law

Part I of this note briefly describes the problems of the specialty steel industry and traces the attempts to deal with those problems from 1968 through the imposition of the relief measures which spawned the current negotiations. After discussing the trade history of the specialty steel industry, the note examines the effectiveness of two domestic import relief statutes through which the government has attempted to assist the industry. The note then analyzes U.S. attempts to aid the specialty steel industry through measures which violate the fundamental principles of the GATT system. The note concludes that since the GATT system cannot …

The Large Civil Aircraft Industry: Applying Legal Policy-Making Tools To Accommodate A Changing Industry, Dennis G. Terez

Michigan Journal of International Law

This note first examines the emergence of Airbus Industrie (Al or Airbus) and identifies some of the legal and policy instruments which the European governments have employed to make Al a successful competitor. After a brief discussion of the growing difficulties with subsidy policies, the note considers European Community legislation for a common European industrial policy and the creation of a European Export Bank as possible alternative solutions for maintaining Al's competitiveness. The note finally argues that international industrial agreements are necessary legal tools for effective regulation of the manufacture and sale of large civil aircraft. International agreements currently in …

Canadian Merger Policy And Its International Implications, Eric K. Gressman

Michigan Journal of International Law

The implications of Canadian merger policy are of deep concern to U.S. and other foreign investors who have invested or are considering investing in Canada. U.S. interests own 60 percent of Canada's manufacturing industry. In 1978, approximately 250 mergers in Canada involved a foreign-owned or foreign-controlled buyer (usually U.S.). Therefore, it is not surprising that Canada's merger policy is no less important to the decisions of foreign investors in Canada than the Justice Department's policies are to domestic investors in the United States. At the same time, the Canadian government and public are concerned with their merger policy as a …

Proposals For Change In The Administration Of The Antidumping Act, Stephen L. Gibson

Michigan Journal of International Law

This article suggests changes that might be made in the administration of the existing Act to improve the efficiency of investigations and the fairness of determinations under the Act in its present form. Most of these suggestions are addressed to the Treasury Department's fair value investigation, with only a few comments on the International Trade Commission injury investigation phase. The ITC has developed a framework for injury investigations that appears generally to be both workable and acceptable to interested parties. Treasury's fair value investigation, on the other hand, has tended to be more controversial. This stems in part from the …

Antidumping Law In Japan, Gary Saxonhouse

Michigan Journal of International Law

The Japanese antidumping law neither works nor is it practiced. Until very recently, it has been a case of managed economy, with extensive government-business interaction obviating the need to use antidumping laws. While some legislation has been on the books, there's never been an action filed under the available legal framework for antidumping actions.

The Antidumping Law: Repeal It Or Revise It, John J. Barceló Iii

Michigan Journal of International Law

This Article concentrates only on American antidumping, safeguard, and antitrust laws. The analysis, however, should have general application to any country in the western trading world. All such countries have antidumping and safeguard provisions patterned along the general guidelines in Articles VI and XIX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAIT). Any country which does not provide protection against predatory pricing through a general antitrust law might resort to a revised antidumping law aimed only at predatory dumping.

The Antidumping Act: Proposals For Change, Noel Hemmendinger

Michigan Journal of International Law

The Antidumping Act is in great trouble. Most of its troubles flow from a basic misconception about the role of an antidumping proceeding. A dumping case is sometimes looked on as analogous to private party litigation in which domestic producers seek to vindicate "rights" being injured by foreign exporters. In another view, it is sometimes regarded as analogous to a criminal proceeding in which the United States condemns and punishes certain methods of foreign price competition as "unfair." In my view, it is preferable to look at an antidumping proceeding as a method of resolving a conflict in the execution …

The "Fast-Track" Procedure: Problems Of Implementation, David N. Wall

Michigan Journal of International Law

The Trade Act of 1974 represented the most significant reformulation of United States international economic policy since the Trade Agreements Act of 1934. Responding to criticism from several quarters, Congress included in the Act major additions to the laws dealing with unfair foreign trade practices. In particular, the Act contained several measures intended to expedite the processing of antidumping complaints. One of these measures, the so-called "fast-track" provision, created a potentially powerful administrative mechanism to permit the summary dismissal of clearly unmeritorious complaints. Unfortunately, implementation of this amendment has suffered from a lack of legislative guidance, and it is not …