Law Commons^™

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 …

Resolving Commercial Disputes In China: Foreign Firms And The Role Of Contract Law, Roy F. Grow

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

It is not my intention to explicate China's Foreign Economic Contract Law (FECL), the Joint Venture Law (JVL), or the Foreign Enterprise Income Tax Law (FEITL). The analysis of these codes has been done in great detail by others.' Instead, I will examine the actual behavior of the most important actors governed by this set of laws-the Chinese and foreign enterprises that work with one another and which must find ways to resolve their competing claims. In this study, I will examine the tension between Chinese and foreign firms by focusing on several specific and limited questions having to do …

Characteristic Performance -- A New Concept In The Conflict Of Laws In Matters Of Contract For The Eec, Kurt Lipstein

Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business

The concept of "characteristic performance, " used in conflicts law to determine which country's law applies in the absence of an express or implied choice of law, has been incorporated into Article 4 of the Draft Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual and Non-Contractual Obligations. In this article, Professor Lipstein examines the purpose, history, and criticisms of the concept of "characteristic performance" and concludes by supporting the use by the Member States of characteristic performance as a means of determining the legal system governing the contract as a whole.