Comparative and Foreign Law Commons^™

La Méthode Comparative En Droit Public, Elisabeth Zoller

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Legal Activism In The Face Of Political Challenges: The Nigerian Case, Jayanth K. Krishnan, Kunle Ajagbe

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Countries that move from authoritarianism to democracy often see increased rights-based, social justice lawyering after the transition. Given the new freedoms and opportunities present, this outcome is hardly surprising. However, relying on a literature and theoretical frame developed over the past two decades, this study argues that, in fact, such lawyering can have its historical roots in the legal activism that occurred during previous authoritarian periods. Consider Africa’s most populous country – Nigeria. Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has witnessed, in total, nearly 30 years of military dictatorship. In 1999, the country adopted a democratic system of government, which …

Gender Equality Menace Under Liberia Domestic Relations Law, Yah-Yeplah Dolo-Barbu

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

Like most Africa countries, Liberia has a dual legal system, that is, the customary and statutory. Cultural and traditional practices influence some of the laws. Laws in both legal systems discriminate against women in overt ways, especially laws that deal with the private sphere, such as marriage, divorce, custody, domestic violence, property, legitimacy, and inheritance. This dissertation seeks to identify inequality in the Liberian Domestic Relation laws that arise from facially discriminatory laws, facially neutral laws and omissions in the law. It also posits that the court’s role in interpreting these issues has been inadequate, and the legislature is reluctant …

Federalism And Gender Equality, Susan H. Williams

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Despite the enormous literature on federalism in constitutional design, and the growing attention to gender equality in constitutional design, there has been remarkably little attention paid to the interaction between the two. This article seeks to provide a summary of the existing literature on this intersection, to apply the insights of that literature to the case of Myanmar, and to offer a contribution concerning the theoretical connections between federalism and gender equality. The analysis generates four primary conclusions. First, federalism is inherently neither good nor bad for gender equality: it all depends on the details of the federal system and …

French Constitutionalism, Elisabeth Zoller

Articles by Maurer Faculty

From the Foreword:

We are particularly pleased that this first special issue gives the opportunity to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the Fifth Republic’s Constitution. Readers will find an enlightened vision of French constitutionalism, so patiently depicted by our colleague Elisabeth Zoller through a life of teachings and research, both in France and in the United States. Defined as “a political doctrine that aims to guarantee political freedom, i.e. the freedom we enjoy in respect of political power, as opposed to civil liberty, which we enjoy in respect of our peers”, constitutionalism has, in France, a profoundly unique character according …

Background Note: Standard Essential Patents, Innovation And Competition: Challenges In India, Arpan Banerjee

IP Theory

In September 2014, a few months after a landslide election victory, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of “Make in India,” an ambitious program designed to turn India into a global manufacturing hub. One of the factors widely thought to be responsible for Modi’s victory was support from India’s “neo-middle class”—a young, newly- urbanized section of the electorate seeking employment and improved living standards but struggling amidst an economic downturn. In a speech inaugurating Make in India, Modi linked the program with the aspirations of this section of society. Modi stated the need to elevate the status …

Retooling The Ilo: How A New Enforcement Wing Can Help The Ilo Reach Its Goal Through Regional Free Trade Agreements, Thomas Payne

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Raising global labor standards has been a goal of labor activists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and nations for over a century. The International Labor Organization (ILO) was created nearly one hundred years ago for that purpose, but a century later its goal remains largely unfinished. This paper will propose a retooling initiative for the ILO that will give it the enforcement power it needs for real labor standard change and the resources it needs to use that enforcement power to promote work according to established international labor standards. This enforcement power will take place through regional free trade agreements (RFTAs), which …

Trading Spaces: The Changing Role Of The Executive In U.S. Trade Lawmaking, Kathleen Claussen

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Since the earliest days of the republic, the U.S. executive has wielded a significant but constitutionally bounded influence on the direction of U.S. trade law. In the twenty-first century, the growth of free trade agreements has led to an institutionalization of trade norms that permits the executive many more spaces for engagement with trading partners. In addition, other types of quotidian lawmaking extend the power of the executive in both public and hidden spaces beyond congressional delegation, even as that power remains substantially bounded by congressional control. This Article analyzes the dynamics between the branches that will direct future U.S. …

The Temptation Of Executive Authority: How Increased Polarization And The Decline In Legislative Capacity Have Contributed To The Expansion Of Presidential Power, Edward G. Carmines, Matthew Folwer

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This paper argues that our increasingly polarized politics has led to political stalemate and policy gridlock in Congress which, in turn, have contributed to a change in the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government; specifically, executive power has increased at the expense of a diminished legislature. The paper will trace the extent to which Congress has become increasingly polarized and how this increased polarization has reduced Congress's capability and productivity while simultaneously increasing policy gridlock resulting in the expansion of executive power (and judicial authority) relative to legislative authority

Editor's Note, Alfred C. Aman, Brandon S. Dawson

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

No abstract provided.

Global Cybersecurity, Surveillance, And Privacy: The Obama Administration's Conflicted Legacy, Peter Margulies

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

To analyze the Obama administration's cyber efforts, this Article proposes a paradigm of stewardship with both discursive and structural dimensions. Discursive stewardship refers to the Executive's openness to dialogue with other stakeholders. Structural stewardship refers to the domestic and transnational distribution of decisional authority, including checks and balances that guard against the excesses of unilateral action. The Article concludes that the Obama administration made substantial progress in each of these realms. However, the outsized role of law enforcement agendas and dearth of clearly articulated checks on transnational surveillance drove headwinds that limited forward movement.

The President's Private Dictionary: How Secret Definitions Undermine Domestic And Transnational Efforts At Executive Branch Accountability, Sudha Setty

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

The 2016 EU-U.S. Privacy Shield is an agreement allowing companies to move customer data between the European Union and the United States without running afoul of heightened privacy protections in the European Union. It was developed in response to EU concerns that the privacy rights of its citizens have been systematically abrogated by the U.S. government in the name of national security, and contains a variety of assurances that the United States will respect and protect the privacy rights of EU citizens.

How trustworthy are the U.S. assurances under the Privacy Shield? Both the Bush and Obama administrations secretly interpreted …

The Rise Of The Executive And The Post-Political Drift Of European Public Law, Marco Dani

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Contemporary European public law is marked by the uneasy relationship between national constitutional democracies and the executive-based supranational governance of the European Union. Whereas constitutional democracy remains the dominant source of inspiration for European institutional imagination, the supranational executive has relentlessly expanded its scope and institutional culture to key policy fields at the core of national constitutional democracies. This article tracks the rise of the supranational executive by examining three relational paradigms developed between national constitutional democracies and the European Union in distinct phases of the European integration process (i.e., the complementarity paradigm in the foundational period; the competition paradigm …

Looking Beyond The Veil, Immanuel Chioco

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

From establishments of state religions to bans on headscarves, religious minorities experience discrimination. In the post-September 11, 2001, world, Muslim women in particular have faced harsh forms of discrimination and stereotyping; this stigma has only been worsened with the recent influx of immigrants into Europe. With increasing numbers of immigrants, some countries have attempted to assimilate minority religious groups by banning the religious use of headscarves. EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc., a case from the United States Supreme Court, was a break for Muslim women. This case, which involved a Muslim plaintiff, held that religious practices are to …

The Domino Effect: How Inadequate Intellectual Property Rights In The Fashion Industry Affect Global Sustainability, Cassandra Elrod

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This note discusses an unexplored problem at the nexus of fashion and intellectual property law: how "fast fashion" leads to unsustainability of global resources and human rights issues pertaining to overseas manufacturing facilities. This unnecessary chain of events could be avoided if fashion designers were granted more substantial intellectual property rights rather than an overall lack of protection. Instead of turning a blind eye to the consequences of consumer demand and "fast fashion," Congress needs to address these issues head on through legislation that mirrors some of the copyright protections afforded fashion designers overseas

Behavioral Public Choice, U.S. National Security Interests, And Transnational Security Decision Making, David G. Delaney

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Transnational law both shapes and is shaped by policy decisions of public officials addressing global terrorist threats. These and other interrelated security and human rights concerns challenge executive officials in national governments and international organizations to simultaneously advance the rule of law and pursue other important welfare interests. This Article explores opportunities for transnational executives to improve their work and transnational legal frameworks. It proposes that behavioral insights into decision making and public policy making provide essential lessons for those efforts. The U.S. experience developing new policies to interrogate suspected terrorists following the Al Qaeda attacks of September 2001 provides …

Globalization And The Growth Of Executive Power: An Old Story, Alasdair Roberts

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Americans have always worried about an undue concentration of power in the executive branch. Recently, people have worried that globalization might be making the problem even worse. But the concern is overstated, or at least misstated. Globalization is not a new phenomenon, and most of its effect on executive power was realized decades ago. And globalization might undermine executive power, rather than bolster it, either because globalization undermines the authority of the nation-state or shifts authority to technocrats. If there is a general tendency toward increased executive power in the twenty-first century, this is might attributable more directly to other …

A Picture's Worth: The Future Of Copyright Protection Of User-Generated Images On Social Media, Elizabeth Tao

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

In the current digital age, the internet is teeming with personal websites and social media posts. As more people around the world are becoming and staying connected to the internet, more stories and photos are sharing over social networking sites each second. Social media presents a ubiquitous platform to share one's life with others, but this accessibility comes at a price. This Note examines the history and present state of copyright law, within the framework of photography, to highlight the gaps within these laws as applied to personal works of art, like personal photographs, posted to social media sites. Social …

The Tension Between Korean Environmental Protection Policies And U.S. Investors' Interests Under The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Changsung Kang

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

South Korea’s low carbon and ‘green growth’ policies possess potential regulatory changes that reduce foreign investors’ interests and legitimate expectations concerning the profitability of their businesses. Although international investment law protects a government’s right to protect legitimate public welfare objectives, such as environmental protection, the investor-State dispute settlement provision allows foreign investors to seek compensation for a country’s law and policies contrary to their interests. On the other hand, investor-State dispute settlement provisions inherently have many problems. Despite the problems, protecting both foreign investors’ interests and States’ regulatory sovereignty is very important. For this reason, this dissertation examined why the …

Achieving Justice Through Adr: An Analysis Of The Korean Mediation System, Yonghwan Choung

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to reconsider Korean judicial mediation as a part of alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) and to discuss the possible legal transition of Korean judicial mediation into private sector mediation.

Similar to other states’ judicial problems, Korea has also faced overloaded case dockets, congestion of the civil process, an expensive legal process, and emotional stress on parties during the procedures. The Korean judicial authority continuously developed the Korean mediation programs, which can be categorized as court-related mediation, including court-annexed and court-connected mediations. Based on enactment of the Judicial Conciliation of Civil Disputes Act of 1990 (“JCCDA”) …

Toward The Search For The Proper Liability Rule For Harms Resulting From Sources Of Risk: A Different Approach To The Choice Between Strict Liability And Fault-Based Regime, Wen-Hsuan Yang

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

An important issue in Taiwan today concerns the rising tension between strict liability and negligence. Article 191-3 of the Civil Code of Taiwan imposes a fault-based standard of liability on persons conducting dangerous activities. On the other hand, the majority of scholars believe that to afford greater protection, this rule should be changed into a strict liability rule.

Traditionally, three arguments make it preferable to impose strict liability under certain circumstances. First, strict liability induces more safety incentives on the part of the defendant. Second, fairness requires that one who benefits from conducting dangerous activities should bear the risk of …

Potential Regulatory Systems For Carbon Capture And Sequestration (Ccs): Legal Analysis Of The Current And Future Regulatory Systems And Recommendations For Acceptance In South Korea, Moonsook Park

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to create legal and regulatory systems for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), based on demonstrating rationales of this technology. This dissertation analyzes whether or not existing international and domestic (including the United States, Australia, China, and South Korea) laws could cover potential legal issues. After exploring desirable directions for addressing key legal issues regarding CCS, this dissertation ultimately aims to set up a legal and regulatory framework for CCS in South Korea.

Specifically, permits, environmental impact assessments, liability, and property rights issues are of common importance, which are priority areas to establish well. In …

One Person, One Vote: Gerrymandering And The Independent Commission, A Global Perspective, James Ruley

Indiana Law Journal

In 1863, on the hallowed fields at Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln encapsulated a core principle of democracy by describing our system as a “government of the people, by the people, [and] for the people.” This definition accurately depicts the ideal of democracy—that supreme power is vested in the citizenry, not in the government itself. Since the American model is based on representative democracy instead of direct democracy, extreme scrutiny must be placed upon the system of choosing representatives if government is to accurately represent the will of the people.

One of the greatest abuses of a citizen’s voting rights is gerrymandering. …

Compensatory Damages Granted In Personal Injuries: Supplementing Islamic Jurisprudence With Elements Of Common Law, Majed Alshaibani

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation discusses the types of compensatory damages, monetary and non-monetary losses, granted in Saudi Arabian personal injury cases. The main issue of this paper is to determine the missing types of monetary and nonmonetary losses when estimating compensation, thereby unjustly leaving injured parties without fair compensation. The problem of this study is that some victims do not get compensation personal injuries claims, such as loss of wages, lost earning capacity, and emotional distress. This is due to many reasons. One of the most obvious reasons is the absence of clearly written personal injuries statutes that cover all types of …

Irreconcilable Principles: Minority Rights, Immigration, And A Religious State, Abigael C. Bosch

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

A state formed to attract immigrant settlement in the aftermath of World War II, Israel was founded as an explicitly Jewish, yet democratic state. Israel's democratic and Zionist motivations are readily identifiable in its Declaration of Independence and have pervaded the country's legal landscape since its establishment. In recent years, however, the steady influx of African asylum seekers traveling to Israel in hopes of securing a better life have proven difficult for Israel to manage. Israel's commitment to preserving the state's Jewish character while still maintaining traditional democratic principles like equality creates a scenario where the so-called "infiltrator" asylum seekers …

The Death Of Opec? The Displacement Of Saudi Arabia As The World's Swing Producer And The Futility Of An Output Freeze, Christopher Hanewald

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

On November 27, 2014, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries met in Vienna and adopted a bold stance against increasing supply from beyond the reach of the cartel. Rather than reduce their own production, the cartel decided to allow market forces to dictate the price of a barrel of oil. By doing this, Saudi Arabia-the de-facto leader of the cartel-made a bet that the burgeoning shale gas industry within the United States would be unable to cope with a sharp fall in the price of oil. Over the course of the following two years, the U.S. energy sector-aided by further …

Why Domestic Enforcement Of Private Regulation Is (Not) The Answer: Making And Questioning The Case Of Corporate Social Responsibility Codes (Introduction), Anna Beckers, Mark Kawakami

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This issue aims to contribute to this debate by providing different perspectives on whether and how domestic enforcement of transnational private regulation through private law can and should be furthered, if at all. This is accomplished by narrowing the broader topic and focusing on the investigation of one particular area: the starting point of all the contributions will be the debate over private corporate social responsibility (CSR) codes and the case for or against their enforcement under domestic private law. These CSR codes are understood as codes of conduct developed and published by transnational corporations to show their globally applicable …

Legalization Under The Premises Of Globalization: Why And Where To Enforce Corporate Social Responsibility Codes, Anna Beckers

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This contribution advances the argument that global self-regulation through corporate social responsibility codes can and should be enforced under domestic private laws. Corporate social responsibility codes are defined as unilateral corporate commitments that indicate a corporation's willingness to take on a global regulatory role in the absence of a global political government-a phenomenon that is difficult to grasp from the perspective of traditional private law categories. The contribution thus starts by discussing the aspects in which private corporate codes and private law categories seem not to fit, and points to recent developments in substantive private law that could change this …

Enforcing Corporate Social Responsibility Codes Under Private Law: On The Disciplining Power Of Legal Doctrine, Jan M. Smits

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

A central question in the debate on corporate social responsibility is to what extent CSR codes can be enforced among private parties. This contribution argues that this question is best answered by reference to the applicable doctrinal legal system. Such a doctrinal approach has recently regained importance in American scholarship, while it is still the prevailing method of legal analysis in Europe. Applying a doctrinal analysis of CSR codes allows for the possibility of private law enforcement, that is, enforcement by means of contract or tort, dependent on three different elements: the exact type of claim that is brought, the …

A Lex Mercatoria For Corporate Social Responsibility Codes Without The State? A Critique Of Legalization Within The State Under The Premises Of Globalization, Larry Catá Backer

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

Recent efforts have sought to theorize the legalization of the social and economic sphere that is undiminished by time. Though the context has changed over time, the project remains the same-to embed behavior control within a network of mandatory proscriptions attached in some authoritative way to the state. Corporate social responsibility has been bound up in corporate codes of behavior and related private governance standards systems. In that form, it serves as a key site for the evolution of legalization and legitimacy in governance. That evolution appears to take corporate social responsibility from its twentieth century formalist rigidity into something …