Global Administrative Law (LAWS90091)

There are many bodies that exercise regulatory power at the global level. Some are traditional international bodies where the principal players are nation states. Many are transnational bodies where the principal players range from national regulators to private firms. This leads to questions as to how to legitimate and render such power accountable. The possibility of developing principles of global administrative law is one response. This subject will examine the scope of global administrative law as it currently exists, the potential for further development and the problems, both practical and conceptual, that will have to be overcome if this is to be done. The subject will include two case studies of particular international and transnational bodies, and the way in which principles of global administrative law might enhance accountability.

Principal topics include:

• The rationale for global regulation
• An overview of international and transnational regulatory bodies
• The arguments for and against development of principles of global administrative law
• The procedural and substantive content of such principles
• Case study of the World Trade Organization
• Case study of the International Organization for Standardisation.