Call for Papers: Public Values and Public Goods: How do They Live in the Intersection of Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law?

European Society of International Law - Interest Groups on “International Business and Human Rights”  &“International Economic Law”

Agora to be held on the occasion of the 13 th  ESIL Annual Meeting: ‘Global Public Goods,
Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law’,
Naples, 7–9 September2017


Call for Papers

Public Values and Public Goods:  How do They Live in the Intersection of Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law?

Despite  the  centrality  that  the  principle  of  State  sovereignty  still  holds  in  the
contemporary international arena, the financial crisis has drawn attention to the role of
the financial market and market actors in the protection and respect of human rights.
The 2016 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights acknowledged the need for further
inquiry on how the links between financial markets and human rights can serve as a
catalyst for change in both social and economic life.

Human rights and due diligence processes concerning environmental and social risks of
finance projects are a tool for protecting public goods of individuals and communities.
Whereas public goods have a collective dimension, human rights continue to place the
individual  at  their  ethical  centre.  The  concepts  of  ‘public  goods’  and  ‘public  values’
could,  thus,  complement  each  other.  They  could,  however,  also  operate  on  different
levels and remain parallel to one another.

This  panel  will  address  legal  instruments  ranging  from  the  UN  “Protect,  Respect,
Remedy” Framework,  and the related UN  Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights (UNGPs), to the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and sustainable
development  in  international  financial  law.  The  IGs  on  “International  Business  and
Human Rights” and “International Economic Law” invite contributions on the following
topics: 1) How and to what extent do the UN “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework
and the UNGPs apply to financial services?; 2) Do public values and public goods feed
into environmental and social assessments of projects finance?; 3)Could the evolution
of the European legal framework help align corporate governance with corporate social
environmental  responsibility  objectives,  also  considering  the  EU  Directive  on  Non-
Financial  Reporting?  4)  Whether  international  actors  (States,  Regional  Economic
International Organizations like the EU, or non-State actors) adopt the same approach
when:  a)  adopting  and  implementing  the  UN “Protect,  Respect,  Remedy”  Framework,
the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on
Multinational Enterprises; and: b) acting within the WTO system and the WTO rounds
of negotiations, the new mega-regional debates and negotiations,  

and  the  case-law  developed  in  international  investments'  disputes  and  the  proposed
new treaties of international investment law and sustainable development.

This call is open to senior and junior academics wishing to share, discuss, and develop
their work on the Agora topic. The objective is to optimise the research impact of our
participants by engaging the different communities of practice in law, political science,
management studies, or accounting in this interdisciplinary field of business and human
rights and international economic law.

The  result  of  the  proposed  Agora  is  intended  to  be  three-fold:  1)  relating  forward-
thinking academic work to the on-going policy dialogue; 2) preparing a special issue on
“Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law” in a relevant journal; 3) and
creating a platform for sharing theories and methodologies across different disciplines.

Application Process

Please submit an abstract in PDF of no more than 800words by 24:00 of 16 January
2017 (London- UK time)to: mara.tignino@unige.ch and, only with reference to point
4), i.e. on the aspects of International Economic Law, to elisa.baroncini@unibo.it
Applicants  will  be  informed  of  the  selection  committee’s  decision  no  later  than  27
January 2017.

The following information must be provided with each abstract: 

•   The author’s name and affiliation; 
•   The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications; 
•   The author’s contact details, including email address and phone number; 
•   Whether the author is an ESIL member; and
•   Whether the abstract should be considered for the ESIL Young Scholar Prize.

Only one abstract per author will be considered. 
Evaluation  criteria:Abstracts  will  be  selected  for  inclusion  in  the  “International
Economic Law” and “International Business and Human Rights” IG’s Agora proposal to
the 2017 ESIL Annual Meeting, on the basis of following criteria: 1) their alignment with
the  panel  description  and  objectives,2)the  overall  coherence  of  the  panel,  and  3)  the
general criteria according to the ESIL Conference Call for Papers. Submissions in both
English and French, the two official languages of the Society, are welcome. Please note:
the  submissions  will  automatically  be  considered  for  participation  in  the  separate
workshops of the IG International Business and Human Rights held during the year and
at the Annual Conference.

Publication  opportunities:  ESIL  provides  the  opportunity  to  publish  papers  in  the
ESIL SSRN Series and to publish selected high-quality papers in a volume of the ESIL
Book Series.
The Interest Groups are unable to provide funding for travel to and attendance at the
conference.  Please  visit  the  ESIL  website  for  information  on  funding  and  for  other
relevant information about the2017 Annual Meeting.