The International Law on Foreign Investments and Host Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa

The International Law on Foreign Investments and Host Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Valentine Nde Fru
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN: 3643109741
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description

The International Law on Foreign Investments and Host Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa

The International Law on Foreign Investments and Host Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Valentine Nde Fru
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
ISBN: 3643109741
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description


African perspectives in international investment law

African perspectives in international investment law PDF Author: Yenkong Ngangjoh Hodu
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 152615126X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
The tremendous growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa comes at a time when the field of international investment law and arbitration is witnessing a renewal. The investment has led to big business for law firms in the area of investment arbitration and the last decade has witnessed an increased number of investment treaties, proliferating investment disputes, the rise of mega- regional trade agreements and the negotiation of mega- regional infrastructure projects. Yet, while the argument in support of investment treaties as instruments to attract foreign direct investment is highly contested, many African countries are no doubt becoming more aware of the need to reshape the international investment architecture. This volume explores trends in FDI on the African continent, the benefits and challenges that FDI presents for African States, and Africa’s participation in the international investment law regime. Featuring contributions from leading African international lawyers, arbitrators, jurists, academics, and litigation experts, this landmark volume is the first of its kind of explore African perspectives in international investment law. Hodu and Mbengue bring together non-mainstream approaches to the debate on the nexus between foreign investment and development, addressing key conceptual issues that will define contemporary international investment law for decades to come. With insights and critical comments on the challenges of Africa’s foreign investment climate and international investment law, this timely collection is essential reading for academics, students, and practitioners alike.

The International Law on Foreign Investment

The International Law on Foreign Investment PDF Author: M. Sornarajah
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521465281
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
The author examines different techniques adopted by States for attracting foreign investment and for ensuring that foreign investment serves their economic objectives.

Large-Scale Land Investments in Least Developed Countries

Large-Scale Land Investments in Least Developed Countries PDF Author: Luis Tomás Montilla Fernández
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 331965280X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
This book analyses large-scale land investments for agricultural purposes in Africa’s least developed countries from a law and economics perspective. Focusing on the effects of foreign land investments on host countries’ local populations and the apparent failure of international law to create incentives to offset them, it also examines the legal and economic mechanisms to hold investors accountable in cases where their investment leads to human rights violations. Applying principal agent and contract theory, it elucidates the sources of opportunism and develops control mechanisms to ameliorate the negative effects. It shows that although judicial mechanisms fail to deliver justice, international law offers alternatives to safeguard against arbitrary and abusive state and investor conduct, and also to effectuate human rights and, thus, tackle opportunistic behaviour.

International Investment Law and Policy in Africa

International Investment Law and Policy in Africa PDF Author: Fola Adeleke
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351998811
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
This book studies the international investment law regime in Africa and provides a comprehensive analysis of the current treaty practices in Africa from global, regional and domestic perspectives. It develops a public interest regulation theory to highlight the role of investment regulation in sustainable development and the protection of human rights. In doing so, the book identifies seven factors that should be considered by arbitrators in resolving international investment disputes that affect the public interest. It considers how corporations can be held accountable through investment treaties in the absence of a global treaty on business and human rights while protecting the rights of investors and their investments. Furthermore, the book explores the current objectives and features of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) as well as the deficiencies and its intersection with the rule of law. It identifies alternatives for ISDS and the extent to which these alternatives address the objectives of attracting investment, depoliticise investment disputes, promote the rule of law and offer remedies to investors. These solutions are offered in relation to the protection of human rights, the promotion of sustainable development and the right of states to introduce domestic public interest regulation. Finally, the book takes a prospective stance and discusses future trends for dispute settlement and investment rulemaking in Africa.

International Law and Legal Regimes of Foreign Direct Investment in Selected African Countries

International Law and Legal Regimes of Foreign Direct Investment in Selected African Countries PDF Author: Nicholas Olwor
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In the past two decades, there have been significant changes in national and international policies of foreign direct investment (FDI). These changes have been both cause and effect in the ongoing integration of the world economy and the changing role of FDI in it. They have found expression in national laws and practices and in a variety of international instruments which includes bilateral, regional and multilateral. Traditionally, African States have played an active and relevant role in the formulation and development of international investment law. Generally, the contribution of these states is demonstrated through active participation in deliberations of the Non-Aligned Movement, the role of African States in the creation of specialized institutions such as UCTAD and the strategic use of numerical strength to sponsor numerous United Nations Resolutions. During the epitome of Africa's active participation, African States aggressively resisted the internationalization of foreign investment rules. However, the practice of African States appears to have changed through the conclusion of BITs containing far-reaching treaty provisions.While in earlier times indirect foreign investment was far more important than direct one, FDI acquired increasing importance as the twentieth century advanced, and it began gradually to assume the forms prevalent today. In international legal terms, however, FDI long remained a matter mainly of national concern, moving onto the international plane, where rules and principles of customary international law applied, only in exceptional cases, when arbitrary government measures affected it.After the Second World War, attitudes towards FDI and policies and conditions in host countries were shaped by the prevalence of political support for state control over the economy and the beginning of decolonialization. Socialist countries for a longtime excluded FDI from their territories, while developing countries endeavored to regain control of their natural resources from foreign interests. At the same time, controls and restrictions over entry and operations of foreign firms were imposed in many countries, with a view to excluding FDI from certain industries for the benefit of domestic investors or the State, determining the specific terms under which investments were to be made, and ensuring the participation of local nationals in major industries. No international consensus on the pertinent legal norms could be reached at the time.In the 1980s, a series of national and international developments radically reversed the policy trends prevailing then, with an immediate impact both on national policies regarding inward FDI and on regional and worldwide efforts at establishing international rules on the subject. Now at the end of the 1990s, host countries are seeking to attract FDI, by dismantling restrictions on its entry and operations and by offering strict guarantees, both national and international, against measures seriously damaging the investors' interests. The tone and direction of international legal discourse has significantly changed. Debate among policy makers is now centered on the most efficient ways of attracting FDI and deriving benefits from it rather than on questions of jurisdiction.An international legal framework for FDI has begun to emerge. It consists of many kinds of national and international rules and principles, of diverse form and origin, differing in strength and degree of specificity. The entire structure rests on the twin foundations of customary international law and national laws and regulations and relies for its substance on a multitude of international investment agreements (IIAs) and other legal instruments.An extensive network of bilateral investment promotion and protection treaties has come into existence. They are highly standardized, yet they appear to be capable of adapting to special circumstances. Their principal focus has been from the very start on the protection of investments against nationalizations or expropriations and on free transfer of funds, although they also cover a number of other areas. Regional and plurilateral international arrangements, while binding on a limited number of countries in each case, are increasingly important in matters of FDI. They help to change pre-existing structures of law and policy and create important habits and patterns of expectations on a broader transnational level. Economic integration agreements are a significant subcategory of regional instruments, whose importance has grown in recent years. At the multilateral level, there is no comprehensive instrument on the subject, although a number of recent multilateral instruments of less comprehensive scope are directly relevant, dealing with particular aspects of the FDI process.Legal rules of other kinds, of varying normative intensity and general applicability are also relevant. Soft law texts, adopted by States or international organizations on a non-binding basis, are important elements of the framework. Corporate codes of conduct and other texts of private origin help to formulate widely accepted prescriptions. Traditional arbitration not only provides useful procedures for dispute settlement but also, through the corpus of its awards, gradually fills in the normative conceptual framework for FDI issues.In terms of substance, the provisions of IIAs must be perceived in their constant interaction with national policies and measures. They concern two principal types of issues. A first class of provisions is linked to the process of liberalization, which, in its application to FDI, involves the gradual decrease or elimination of measures and restrictions on the entry and operations of firms, especially foreign ones; the application of positive standards of treatment with a view to the elimination of discrimination against foreign enterprises; and implementation of measures and policies seeking to promote the operation of markets. A second category of issues covers provisions that concern the protection of foreign investments already made against government measures damaging to them. As to both types of issues, it is important to consider the provisions and approaches which import into the operation of IIAs the flexibility necessary for enhancing the development of the host countries concerned.The past decades witnessed an increasingly rapid escalation towards globalization in the world economy. In spite of the tremendous growth of FDI flows and the ambitious expansion of MNEs, no single comprehensive set of multilateral rules has been reached governing the issue of FDI. Developing countries have generally resisted the adoption of a multilateral treaty protecting and encouraging FDI, while industrialized nations, on the other hand, have felt a great need for such an agreement, seeking to establish high standards of liberalization for global investment movements. An international legal framework for FDI has begun to emerge in recent times, which is actually in response to the current uncertainty of the customary international law. It includes, inter alia, national statutory regimes, and international rules and principles established at bilateral, regional and multilateral level. The BITs have played an important role in this process, and the rapid proliferation of these treaties signifies their importance as the potential foundation upon which a future multilateral agreement can be built. Two recent developments have further brought the issue to the fore of the international community: first, the embodiment of a set of investment related rules in the multilateral trading system, and second, the initiative of the OECD to promote an MAI. While the TRIMS Agreement was rather conservative in scope, applying merely to investment measures that have distorting effects on trade in goods, the negotiations on MAI appeared to be far more ambitious. However, the fundamental premise upon which the MAI has been built is considerably flawed and one-sided, which has indeed resulted in its abortion. From the perspective of developing countries, the most significant issue at point is precisely how a multilateral framework can be formulated in such a flexible manner that they could remain sufficient margin of autonomy to benefit from the inward FDI, and thereby pursue their own economic development objectives.

The International Law on Foreign Investment

The International Law on Foreign Investment PDF Author: M. Sornarajah
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108605192
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 703

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Book Description
The climate surrounding foreign investment law is one of controversy and change, and with implications for human rights and environmental protection, foreign investment law has gained widespread public attention and visibility. This fully updated edition of Sornarajah's classic text offers thought-provoking analysis of the law in historical, political and economic contexts, capturing leading trends and charting the possible course of future developments. It takes into account the newer types of treaties that establish a regulatory space for states and moves away from inflexible investment protection, exploring the newly created defences relating to environment, human rights, indigenous rights and other areas ending the fragmentation of the law. It looks at the current debates on legitimacy of the system and current efforts at reform. Suitable for postgraduate and undergraduate students, The International Law on Foreign Investment is essential reading for anyone specialising in the law of foreign investments.

Legal Treatment of Foreign Investment

Legal Treatment of Foreign Investment PDF Author: Ibrahim F. I. Shihata
Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
ISBN: 9780792325253
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
Corporation law dates from the 19th century when the growth of business enterprise required a division between the private & the company sphere, making the company a legal person with its own rights, responsibilities & liabilities. The company was no longer the legal equivalent of its owner but became a separate legal entity, providing a form of legal protection for the owners, employees & the customers. The introduction of company law meant a great step forward for those engaged in big business in Europe, the U.S. & elsewhere.

Human Rights, Natural Resource and Investment Law in a Globalised World

Human Rights, Natural Resource and Investment Law in a Globalised World PDF Author: Lorenzo Cotula
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136600027
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
In the world’s developing countries, foreign investment in natural resources brings into contact competing interests that are often characterised by unequal balances of negotiating power – from multinational corporations and host governments, through to the local people affected by the influx of foreign investment. The growing integration of the world economy has been accompanied by rapid and extensive developments in the national and international norms that regulate investment and its impact – including investment law, natural resource law and human rights law. These legal developments affect the ‘shadow’ that the law casts over the multiple negotiations that characterise international investment projects in the developing world. Drawing on international law, the national law of selected jurisdictions and the contracts concluded in a large investment project, Human Rights, Natural Resource and Investment Law in a Globalised World explores the ways in which the law protects the varied property rights that are at play in foreign investment projects in developing countries, with a focus on Africa. Through an integrated analysis of seemingly disparate fields of law, this book sheds new light on how the law mediates the competing interests that come into contact as a result of economic globalisation, whilst also providing new insights on the changing nature of state sovereignty and on the relationship between law and power in a globalised world. This book will be of interest to scholars, students and informed practitioners working in the fields of international investment and human rights law, comparative law, socio-legal studies, and development studies.

Legal Protection and Sustainability of Chinese Investments in Africa

Legal Protection and Sustainability of Chinese Investments in Africa PDF Author: Xiuli Han
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811918821
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
This book attempts to illustrate the whole picture of international investment rule of law between China and African countries and find the way forward through combining theory and practice. It is a book by a Chinese professor based on her long-term research experience in the international investment law field and her African field work in person. Its main feature is its well-balanced thinking on the structure of investment international rule of law. It should be the most comprehensive research on the international investment rule of law between China and African countries. With the increase of Chinese investment in Africa, various discussions and viewpoints on Chinese investment in Africa have become striking. The purpose of this book is to explore systematically the protection and sustainability of Chinese investment under the concept and framework of the international investment rule of law, so as to serve the sustainable development of Africa and China. For the purpose of this book, great importance is attached to the idea of the international rule of law, and the international investment law with the function of rule of law is adhered to. The conclusion of this book is that China should take proactive steps to protect Chinese investment in Africa and regulate Chinese overseas investors and their investments in addition to complying with the laws in the host states and thus make them conductive to African and Chinese sustainable development; however, the most significant issue is that China-Africa investment relations should be regulated by the evolving and specific international investment rule of law, and the China-Africa international investment rule of law should conform to normative in form, support common sustainable development in value, and reflect the social reality of China and Africa. For both researchers and students, it is an approach to understand international investment rule of law from a perspective of China and Africa. For those who are interested in China and Africa, it is a useful reference book.