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International Law

University of Georgia School of Law

International governance

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Industry Groups In International Governance: A Framework For Reform, Melissa J. Durkee Jan 2023

Industry Groups In International Governance: A Framework For Reform, Melissa J. Durkee

Scholarly Works

At a time when many international organizations are focusing on bringing companies on board as partners for important goals like climate mitigation and adaptation, but even shareholders of major multinational companies are seeking to discipline pernicious lobbying by trade associations, it is important to evaluate how to maximize the benefit and restrain the harms of business participation in international governance. This article offers a brief history of engagement between international organizations and industry and trade associations, reviews arguments for embracing or restraining the participation of those groups, and develops a five-part framework for regulations to govern their access.


International Lobbying Law, Melissa J. Durkee Jan 2018

International Lobbying Law, Melissa J. Durkee

Scholarly Works

An idiosyncratic array of international rules allows nonstate actors to gain special access to international officials and lawmakers. Historically, many of these groups were public-interest associations like Amnesty International. For this reason, the access rules have been celebrated as a way to democratize international organizations, enhancing their legitimacy and that of the rules they produce. But a focus on the classic public-law virtues of democracy and legitimacy produces a theory at odds with the facts: The international rules rules also offer access to industry and trade associations like the World Coal Association, whose principal purpose is to lobby for their …