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Full-Text Articles in Law
Empiricism And International Law: Insights For Investment Treaty Dispute Resolution, Susan Franck
Empiricism And International Law: Insights For Investment Treaty Dispute Resolution, Susan Franck
Susan D. Franck
While scholars in the United States increasingly focus on the empirical dimension of legal scholarship, there have been challenges in using empiricism to explore international legal issues. Rather than relying on logic or instinct alone, empirical methodologies can provide scholars with tools to gain new facts, see existing ideas through a different lens, and engage in a more nuanced analysis of international law phenomena. There appears to be a natural synergy between empiricism and international investment treaty dispute resolution. With calls for trade time outs by U.S. presidential candidates, there is interest in how investment treaties function, whether they achieve …
The Icsid Effect? Considering Potential Variations In Arbitration Awards, Susan Franck
The Icsid Effect? Considering Potential Variations In Arbitration Awards, Susan Franck
Susan D. Franck
The legitimacy of the World Bank's dispute resolution body - The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) - is a matter of heated debate. Some states have alleged that ICSID is biased, withdrawn from the ICSID Convention, and advocated creating alternative arbitration systems. Using pre-2007 archival data of the population of then- known arbitration awards, this Article quantitatively assesses whether ICSID arbitration awards were substantially different from arbitration awards rendered in other forums. The Article examines variation in the amounts claimed and outcomes reached to evaluate indicators of bias. The results indicated that there was no reliable …
Through The Looking Glass: Understanding Social Science Norms For International Investment Law, Susan Franck, Calvin Garbin, Jenna Perkins
Through The Looking Glass: Understanding Social Science Norms For International Investment Law, Susan Franck, Calvin Garbin, Jenna Perkins
Susan D. Franck
When social science methods are being employed in a new context — such as the assessment of international investment law — there is value in exploring the underlying assumptions and normative baselines of the enterprise. This article and response address critiques about the methodology of an article in the Harvard International Law Journal by: (1) describing the value of social science in international investment law; (2) replicating the research using new methodologies to conduct more than 20 new tests that were still unable to ascertain the existence of a reliable relationship between development status and outcomes on the basis of …
Foreign Direct Investment, Investment Treaty Arbitration And The Rule Of Law, Susan Franck
Foreign Direct Investment, Investment Treaty Arbitration And The Rule Of Law, Susan Franck
Susan D. Franck
In the last decade, there has been a surge in the number of multi-lateral and bilateral investment treaties governments have signed; meanwhile there have been dramatic increases in the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI); and, more recently, the number of claims brought under investment treaties has spiked. This Article examines the relationship amongst these factors and is the first to review the emerging empirical economic literature investigating whether investment treaties achieve their goal of promoting FDI. The Article then specifically evaluates the impact that the procedural right to arbitrate investment claims plays in the process of promoting FDI and …
Empirically Evaluating Claims About Investment Treaty Arbitration, Susan Franck
Empirically Evaluating Claims About Investment Treaty Arbitration, Susan Franck
Susan D. Franck
With the blossoming of empirical legal scholarship, there is an increased appreciation for the insights it offers issues of international importance. One area that can benefit from such inquiry is the resolution of disputes from investment treaties, which affects international relations, implicates international legality of domestic government conduct, and puts millions of taxpayer dollars at risk. While suggesting there has been a litigation explosion, commentators make untested assertions about investment treaty disputes. Little empirical work transparently explores this area, however. As the first research that explains its methodology and results, this article is a modest attempt to evaluate claims about …
The Nature And Enforcement Of Investor Rights Under Investment Treaties: Do Investment Treaties Have A Bright Future?, Susan Franck
The Nature And Enforcement Of Investor Rights Under Investment Treaties: Do Investment Treaties Have A Bright Future?, Susan Franck
Susan D. Franck
The number of bilateral and multilateral investment treaties has surged in the past decade. Investors are actively using these treaties to bring claims against sovereign states, and many of these tribunals have come to conflicting - if not diametrically opposed - results on the meaning of substantive treaty rights. This article evaluates the positive and negative attributes of such inconsistencies and the impact upon the rule of law. The article recommends building safeguards into the current dispute resolution process to minimize the negative impact of inconsistency and maximize its positive attributes.