Poverty and the International Economic Legal System

Looking beyond development, this volume examines international trade, investment and finance law with a focus on poverty.

Economic growth does not necessarily lead to a reduction in poverty levels. Extending beyond development discussions, Poverty and the International Economic Legal System offers researchers and policymakers an in-depth assessment of how rules governing international economic activity need to change to improve the standards of living for all individuals.With a focus on how trade, foreign investment, commercial arbitration and financial regulation rules affect impoverished individuals, Poverty and the International Economic Legal System examines the relationship between the legal rules of the international economic law system and states' obligations to reduce poverty. The contributors include leading practitioners, practice-oriented scholars and legal theorists, who discuss the human aspects of global economic activity without resorting to either overly dogmatic human rights approaches or technocratic economic views. The essays extend beyond development discussions by encouraging further efforts to study, improve and develop legal mechanisms for the benefit of the world's poor and challenging traditionally de-personified legal areas to engage with their real-world impacts.