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Law and Contemporary Problems

2008

International trade

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

The Many Lives — And Faces — Of Lex Mercatoria: History As Genealogy In International Business Law, Nikitas E. Hatzimihail Jul 2008

The Many Lives — And Faces — Of Lex Mercatoria: History As Genealogy In International Business Law, Nikitas E. Hatzimihail

Law and Contemporary Problems

It has been claimed that cross-border business transactions are governed by a transnational body of norms specific to international trade, generally known as lex mercatoria, the law merchant. This legal phenomenon is in fact often described as the new lex mercatoria, as distinguished from the ancient law merchant, which purportedly flourished in medieval and early modern Europe. Here, Hatzimihail discusses about lex mercatoria, which has been variously described by its advocates as a set of general principles and customary rules spontaneously referred to or elaborated in the framework of international trade.


Negotiate Or Litigate? Effects Of Wto Judicial Delegation On U.S. Trade Politics, Judith L. Goldstein, Richard H. Steinberg Jan 2008

Negotiate Or Litigate? Effects Of Wto Judicial Delegation On U.S. Trade Politics, Judith L. Goldstein, Richard H. Steinberg

Law and Contemporary Problems

Goldstein and Steinberg argue that the World Trade Organization Appellate Body has been able to use its authority to engage in judicial lawmaking to reduce trade barriers in ways that would not otherwise have been possible through negotiation. This lawmaking authority was not the result of a purposeful delegation; rather, it was an unintended byproduct of the creation of an underspecified set of rules and procedures. There is nevertheless a high rate of compliance with Appellate Body decisions because decentralized enforcement can induce domestic importers to lobby for trade liberalization. In the US, this judicial lawmaking may also allow the …