School of Law

International Institutions

This research group, led by Professor Surya Subedi, examines the role of international institutions in global governance.

Although the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism is an improvement on the old GATT mechanism, it is quite different in nature from other international mechanisms available for resolving disputes between States.

The group examines the framework within the WTO and explores its weaknesses and ways to overcome them.

'WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism' research project

International Governance and Intellectual Property

Professor Graham Dutfield's group examines the governance of exclusionary rights relating to scientific, technological and cultural works and expressions.

It takes into account, but also questions, the conventional wisdom that the world's most successful nations are those best at producing, acquiring, deploying and controlling valuable knowledge.

The grouping has a particular focus on intellectual property and biotechnology.

'Intellectual Property and Biotechnology' research project

International Governance and Constitutionalization

This group, led by Steven Wheatley, addresses the 'constitutionalization' of international legal orders in relation to international law and explores the implications for domestic legal systems.

The Centre has a research focus related to democracy and international law. The group evaluates the implications of the fact that the globalisation of governance has resulted in the removal of many issues from the domestic contestation and the political control of citizens.

'Democracy and International Law' research project

The Corporate Objective

The group led by Professor Andrew Keay asks: What is and what should be the ultimate objective of public corporations?

Large public companies tend to dominate societies all around the world.  They have a significant amount of power in communities, including employing large numbers and selling huge quantities of products.  Notwithstanding, there has been uncertainty for many years as to what should be the actual objective of these companies.

This project is developing a new model to address these issues.

'The Ultimate Objective of the Corporation' research project