The Adjudicator’s Toolkit and the Force of International Law

International economic adjudication is under stress. International law could act as a legitimising force. Yet, this book shows how far away that goal is: the inconsistency in the application of the international legal toolkit plagues the dispute settlement systems in need of reform.

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Adjudicators have been placed at the forefront in the search for systemic order within the pluralist international legal order, acting as guardians of the international legal system. Yet, they do so under increasing pressure from the governments. Based on one of the most comprehensive and systematic empirical and doctrinal studies of international trade and investment adjudication, this book asks which tools adjudicators turn to when faced with this dilemma. Dr. Nicola Strain provides new insights on the design choices and normative goals of international economic adjudication, explaining how adjudicators end up consistently inconsistent in their application of international law, even within the more technocratic WTO regime.