Category Archives: Law and Development
Lora, Benítez-Rueda and Rueda-Sanz, ‘Property Informality and Its Effect on Rural Land Prices in Colombia’
ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of property informality on rural land prices in Colombia. It utilizes data for 16 land size categories for a fifth of Colombia’s municipalities. It employs the Gaussian copula approach to overcome endogeneity issues. The main finding is that an exogenous variation of property informality significantly reduces rural land prices […]
Christophe Geiger, ‘Designing an Ethical and Sustainable Intellectual Property System: An Introduction’
ABSTRACT Growing concerns for the environment and the quest for sustainable development have recently prompted a general reflection at the national, European and international levels on the effects of technology, and innovation more broadly, on present and future generations and the world we are living in. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United […]
‘Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Africa’
Recall, on 14 October 2024, we invited submissions to the Journal of Sustainable Development and Policy for a special issue focusing on ‘Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Africa’. Make today matter! Under this motto, legal scholars from all over the world gathered at the University of Pretoria on July 8, 2025 to take […]
Kukhariev, Kostiuchenko and Krasytska, ‘Reforming Ukraine’s Civil Legislation as a Tool for Economic Recovery and Ensuring Sustainable Development in the Post-War Period’
ABSTRACT The post-war reconstruction of Ukraine necessitates two principal components: the large-scale physical rebuilding of destroyed infrastructure and the implementation of deep structural reforms. Among these reforms, the transformation of civil legislation is of particular significance. The effective regulation of property and contractual legal relations is a necessary prerequisite for the restoration of entrepreneurial activity, […]
Barna Arnold Keserű, ‘Key Concepts on Intellectual Property Rights and Sustainable Development’
ABSTRACT This article explores the intricate relationship between Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Sustainable Development, emphasizing the need for legal frameworks to adapt to global challenges. The author, Barna Arnold Keserű, argues that while human creativity has led to remarkable achievements, it has also caused significant environmental and societal harm. The concept of sustainable development, […]
Duncan Wallace, ‘The Reality of Shareholder Ownership: For-profit Corporations as Slaves’
ABSTRACT What is the relationship between shareholders and the corporation? The present scholarly consensus is that, whatever the relationship is, it is not one of owner and owned. This article contests that consensus. It argues that corporations are owned by their shareholders and, further, that corporations so-owned are slaves. In support of this contention, the […]
Silvie Rohr, ‘Corporate Purpose: A Management Concept and the Role of Contract Design’
ABSTRACT In light of systemic crises such as global warming and human rights violations in business operations, the call for reevaluating corporate conduct has become more pressing than ever. As these challenges intensify, a growing consensus advocates for a shift away from shareholder profit maximization towards a more holistic stakeholder governance model. Yet, the question […]
Susanna Kim Ripken, ‘Corporate Civil Disobedience’
ABSTRACT Classic theories of civil disobedience endorse the right of individuals to commit illegal acts to protest unjust laws and policies. Acts of civil disobedience have historically played a central role in exposing injustice and producing vital legal and social change. The literature on civil disobedience is vast; political and legal theorists have long recognized […]
Davis and Pargendler, ‘Legal Heterodoxy in the Global South: Adapting Private Laws to Local Contexts’
ABSTRACT How do private law institutions of developing countries differ from those of developed countries? A common view is that the legal systems of the Global South are often outdated, failed transplants of Global North models, or plagued by enforcement challenges. This book project offers a different perspective by focusing on legal innovation and adaptation […]
Nicholas Mouttotos, ‘The UNIDROIT Principles on International Commercial Contracts and sustainable development’
ABSTRACT A number of motivations currently drive multinational corporations to the inclusion, monitoring, and enforcement of contract requirements for sustainability. These can be either as a result of investor demand for environment, social, and governance policies; regulatory requirements for inclusion of such contract stipulations; or the increasing litigation for conduct leading to environmental harm, but […]