DDRO 25A06 - Political Economy of International Public Law

This course analyzes the structures and functions of international public law using the methodological and theoretical tools of political economy. Rather than treating law as an autonomous system of norms, the course interrogates how legal regimes emerge, operate, and evolve in relation to power, interests, and material structures at the international level. We examine how legal frameworks reflect and institutionalize global distributions of power, economic interdependence, and the strategic behavior of states and non-state actors. Topics include sovereignty, trade, development, human rights, investment law, and environmental regimes, with a focus on power asymmetries, institutional design, and enforcement.

Adopting a political economy approach to analyzing law - and public international law in particular - has a number of analytical, critical and empirical advantages. It highlights underlying power relationships; the political economy approach enables to understand who writes law, for whose benefit, and in what structural context (imperialism, capitalism, inter-state rivalry...).

No particular prerequisite. The course will use economics and international law concepts.

No reading is expected before the first session.

This course mixes lectures and student participation. Before each session, each student will be expected to have read the indicated documents.

These documents will help us to discuss a specific topic in class. It is therefore compulsory to read them.

Online questions may be available on Moodle to help students checking the readings and/or if previous sessions are well understood. However, these quizzes will not be part of the evaluations and are optional. They have only been designed for pedagogical purposes.

However, some classes will mainly rely on a case study _ the study of a particular aspect of international affairs. In this case, kindly read the documents of the case.

Some classes will end with one or more suggested readings. These references are simply suggested readings if you wish to go further on the issue studied in class.

Reading assignments and case studies will be provided by the class instructor. For further readings, only references will be provided. If you have any difficulty to find a reading please contact the class instructor who will help you.

• Session #1: Political Economy and International Public Law. What do they have in common?
• Session # 2: Law and Economics: the Basics
• Session # 3: International Organizations 1 _ Rational Design
• Session # 4: International Organizations 2 _ Public Choice
• Session #5: International Public Law: An International Regime Approach
• Session #6: The Political Economy of Treaty Making
• Session #7: Midterm (45 minutes) & The Political Economy of Trade Conflicts
• Session #8: Case Study 1: Protectionism
• Session #9: Economic Change as a Cause of International Law Change
• Session #10: Case Study 2: UN Security Council
• Session #11: International Sanctions
• Session #12: Final exam

The assessment method may evolve by the beginning of the term.

• Participation 10% (in class 5% ; Moodle quizzes 5%
• Class presentations 30%
• Final exam 30%
• Midterm 10%
• Home assignment 20%

NB: final exam and midterm will be in class (final will last 2 hours and midterm will last 45minutes to 1 hour). Your home assignments will be a written document linked to your class presentation topic.

Further details and assignments expectations will be provided during the first class.