Prospectus

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Redefining Global Governance: A Tax, Trade and Investment Perspective in the EU and Beyond

Course
2024-2025

Toegangseisen

This course does not require a specific knowledge of investment law, trade law or tax law.

Admitted to Honours College Law.

NB: For students who completed the prior version of this course, ‘Policy Coherence’, it is permitted to join this new course – however under conditions. If this applies to you, then please contact HC Law via honours@law.leidenuniv.nl.

Beschrijving

Over the last decade, global governance has increased in importance in international tax and investment policymaking at EU and at international level, maybe catching up with the trade regime where global governance has been important for a longer period already. Yet, what global governance should ideally achieve, how it should work, and how it should coexist with decision-making at other levels is contested. From the academic side, many analytical perspectives are competing.

This course is divided in two parts. The first part will address the academic discussion of global governance from a tax, trade and investment perspective. In this first part, the course will address the need for a systematic review of what global governance means, to discover lessons to be learned across tax, trade and investment to improve it, and to study the role different actors (e.g. IOs, EU, individual countries, etc.) play in global governance across the three areas. A particular challenge that we would like to focus on is the representation of developing countries’ voices and interests in international organizations.

The second part of this course will provide the link between governance in tax, trade and investment and the Sustainable Development Goals. Governments and international organizations as international actors are building new initiatives to link governance to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some areas where these initiatives have clearly emerged is in the field of taxation, investment and trade since these areas can contribute to developing countries’ own policies for development. Making investment, tax and trade more sustainable will result in further expansion and deepening of partnerships on sustainability with the private sector and civil society organisations.

This course will address the two above topics governance, SDGs from a tax, trade and investment perspective by providing three case studies. The first case study is the introduction of incentives, mainly special economic zones, by developing countries to attract foreign direct investment. The second case study is the introduction of measures to tackle climate change (e.g. CBAM). The third case study is the introduction of incentives to enhance digital trade.

The course will end with a policy paper where the students will need to develop an evaluation framework for each case study and to provide recommendations on how global governance could be improved. Elaborating such an evaluation framework throughout the course will provide participants with the tools for continuing their research with an interdisciplinary perspective, which is expected to lead to further collaboration and elucidation of this area of study.

The current globalized world requires knowledge of the interaction between different areas of law and policy making including exchange of best practices in developed and developing countries. Therefore, this course will give students tools to carry out comparative research that can be useful in their future career as lawyers, policy advisors in governments, international organizations (OECD, World Bank) and supranational organizations (European Union).

This course facilitates group interaction (2 or 3 students per group) and also welcomes interaction between different areas of law, public policy and international relations. For this purpose, in this course, the students will form groups to work on the case studies. The main findings of the case studies and the evaluation framework will be presented by the students during the class.

Summary course. This course will build on three areas of law: taxation, investment and trade and the link to governance and the sustainable development goals.

Leerdoelen

The course covers introductory elements of governance and development and the link to investment law, tax law and trade law: Theory and practice.

Furthermore, this course will contribute to the development of the following Honours-skills:

  • Generating Solutions;

  • Project-based working;

  • Collaborating;

  • Social awareness.

By the end of this course the students will have integrated their skills and knowledge from the challenges that developing countries face to deal with governance and sustainable development from a tax, investment and trade perspective In addition, students will gain a basic understanding of different countries policies to attract foreign direct investment and to deal with new challenges e.g. climate change, foreign direct investment, digital trade.

Onderwijsvorm

This course will be given in a seminar form.
Attendance at and participation in this course is mandatory, as with all courses of HC Law. This is partly due to the character and structure of HC Law and its courses, which therefore also have the status of practical exercises.

Periode

The meetings take place in Blok 1, on Thursday, 5.15-8.00 p.m.

  1. Trade - Presentation case study digital trade
  2. Investment - Presentation case study: Special Economic Zones and Foreign Direct Investment
  3. Tax - Presentation case study climate change
  4. Discussion and feedback first draft assignment
  5. Presentation assignment (essay or unessay - see below).

Toetsing

Students will work in a group (2 to 3 students max.) to ensure the exchange of ideas in the project and also the cooperation between students of different disciplines. Students can choose between an essay or an unessay as follows:

Firstly, choose and read 1 book chapter from the book Redefining Global Governance - A Tax, Trade and Investment Perspective in the EU and beyond (t.b.c.) Forthcoming Springer Publications 2024.

Secondly, in the form of an essay or an unessay, please provide a short summary of the main questions that have been addressed, possible answers to the questions and your personal (academic) opinion on the topic discussed.

For the Essay max. 5 pages, TNR 12, 1.5 space. For unessay (see guidelines in Brightspace). Both essay and unessay will need to be submitted in Brightspace. Deadline t.b.a..

Before lecture 4, the students can present an outline of their essay or unessay (1 A4) for feedback. Feedback will be provided in lecture 4 (P/F).
The assessment methods (pass/fail) as well as the content of the essay/unessay will be further explained in the first session of the class.

Brightspace

Bij dit vak wordt gebruik gemaakt van Brightspace.

Literatuur

The list of literature can be found in the syllabus, which will be available on Brightspace.

Aanmelden

Via the administration of Honours College Law: honours@law.leidenuniv.nl in the manner indicated in the Cohort Brightspace page.

Minimum en maximum aantal deelnemers

14-24

Contact

In case of absence, or when you have (other) organizational questions, please contact Honours College Law via honours@law.leidenuniv.nl.

Vakcoördinator: Prof. dr. I.J.Mosquera Valderrama – only for substantial matters.
Werkadres: Steenschuur 25 2311 ES Leiden
Bereikbaarheid: By appointment
Telefoon: 31 71 527 6618
E-mail: i.j.mosquera.valderrama@law.leidenuniv.nl