International Law and Economic Development

Abstract

A large body of scholarship has emerged to examine specific aspects of the relationship between international law and economic development (although comprehensive treatments of this question are somewhat rare). This scholarship covers a diverse array of academic projects and subfields of international law, including international development law, international economic law, and international human rights law. A typical research topic in this field concerns the potential contribution of international investment protections to a country’s economic development (see Law and Economic Development and International Trade). Some scholars have examined this question, and the more general impact of international law on economic development, through the methods of economic theory (see International Law and Economic Theory). Others have focused on the constraints of international law on domestic policymaking, highlighting the specific concerns of developing countries (see Historical and Third World Approaches to International Law). Yet others have examined development policies and objectives, including economic goals, through international human rights law (see Human Rights and Economic Development). The role of international law in economic development is also discussed in area studies, in particular, with regard to China and other East Asian countries. These countries are commonly seen to have developed economically in spite of their selective compliance with international norms (see Area Studies).