Law Commons^™

Offshore Wind Development In The Great Lakes: Accessing Untapped Energy Potential Through International And Interstate Agreement To Overcome Public Trust Concerns, Jordan Farrell

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Offshore wind energy development in the Great Lakes presents an immense opportunity for distributed generation of renewable energy; however, this potential has thus far remained untapped. One significant barrier to why there has not yet been such wind energy development in the Great Lakes is the public trust doctrine. This doctrine generally stands for the principle that a state cannot convey its submerged lands to a private party. However, there remains much legal uncertainty with regards to the doctrine. Courts and scholars have struggled to determine with any certainty the origins and grounding of the doctrine and the limits it …

This Must Be Our Place: Protectionism And Foreign Investment In Kazakhstan’S Farmland, Kristi Lew

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms For Consultation And Free, Prior And Informed Consent In The Negotiation Of Investment Contracts, Sam Szoke-Burke, Kaitlin Cordes

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

Investor-state contracts are regularly used in low- and middle-income countries to grant concessions for land-based and natural resource investments, such as agricultural, extractive industry, forestry, or renewable energy projects. These contracts are rarely negotiated in the presence of, or with meaningful input from, the people who risk being adversely affected by the project. This practice will usually risk violating requirements for meaningful consultation, and, where applicable, free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), and is particularly concerning when the investor-state contract gives the investor company rights to lands or resources over which local communities have legitimate claims.

This article explores how …

Infrastructure For Commerce, Michael B. Likosky

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

While the government presents the MSC as the embodiment of the future, structurally it bears remarkable resemblance to the colonial legal orders. The enclave nature of the MSC is reminiscent of the colonial dual legal orders. At the same time, the international legal and economic orders have undergone profound changes. The international legal order is now premised on sovereign absolutism and equality among nation-states. The reigning economic paradigm is high technology rather than manufacturing or the spice trade. Discussion of the continuities and discontinuities between colonial and present day transnational legal orders must thus attend to a number of variables. …

Transactional, Social, And Legal Aspects Of Oil Exploration And Extraction In Colombia, Juan Carlos Palau

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

In Colombia, as in many other countries with oil reserves potential, the government has sought to reduce the activity's inherent high degree of un-certainty by shaping the legal and economic environment that foreign com-panies have to operate in, making it more profitable and attractive for them.16 This paper seeks to accurately represent this environment to the pro-spective investor, starting with the structures of the two basic transactions, referred to herein as "modes", through which most commonly, foreign com-panies participate in the oil industry in Colombia, namely, the Standard As-sociation Mode ("S.A.M") and the Risk Sharing Mode ("R.S.M.").17 The contractual agreements …

Pudong: Another Special Economic Zone In China?-An Analysis Of The Special Regulations And Policy For Shanghai's Pudong New Area, Bin Xue Sang

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The Open Door Policy instituted in the late 1970s marked the beginning of economic reform in the People's Republic of China ("China"). Leading these reforms was the establishment of five special economic zones i and the opening of fourteen coastal cities.2 These special economic zones ("SEZs") and coastal cities, located along the east coast of China, serve as "windows" to attract foreign investment and technology.' So far, each of the five SEZs and the fourteen coastal cities has been successful in achieving these goals.