Postgraduate Module Descriptor

LAWM081: International Investment Law and Arbitration

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Although the module’s precise content may vary, it is anticipated that the following topics will be covered:

Introduction to international investment law and policy and to international investment out-of-court disputes
The historical treatment of aliens in international law
Regulatory / legal framework &Institutional background in relation to international arbitration for investment disputes
Principles of investment dispute resolution.
ICSID Disputes (- Jurisdiction: ‘investment’ and ‘investors’, applicable law - Substantive protections: non-discrimination; expropriation; fair and equitable treatment; denial of justice and the ‘effective means’ clause – Procedure - Reservations and exceptions, - Remedies: compensation, valuation techniques and non-monetary remedies, - Awards)
Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs)
Case studies
Current developments and proposals for systemic reform

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
33	267

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	33	Eleven seminars of three hours duration primarily led by the lecturer but also involving a high degree of student active participation. Students will need to prepare for each seminar and will be expected to contribute to class discussions. Case studies will be also presented by students as a response to prior set questions (here students will be required each time to prepare in advance a 500-word response to the set question). In addition a formative assessment (2000 words) will be set and discussed to help them prepare for the summative assessment
Guided independent study	147	Reading and preparation for seminars
Guided independent study	120	Reading, research and preparation for summative assessment

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

ICSID website https://icsid.worldbank.org/apps/ICSIDWEB/Pages/default.aspx

UNCTAD Inter-treaty database http://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/FDI%20Statistics/Interactive-database.aspx

Investment Treaty Arbitration website: www.italaw.com (database of publicly-available investment treaty arbitral awards)

Investment Arbitration Reporter http://www.iareporter.com/

Other Learning Resources

CAMPBELL MCLAHJAN, LAWRENCE SHORE, MATHEW WEINIGER, International Investment Arbitration, Substantive Principles (OUP 2008)

CHRISTOPHER DUGAN, DON WALLACE, JR., NOAH RUBINS, & BORZU SABAHI, Investor-State Arbitration (OUP 2008)

ZACHARY DOUGLAS, The International Law of Investment Claims (Cambridge UP 2009)

NORAH GALLAGHER AND WENHUA SHAN, Chinese Bilateral Investment Treaties. Policies and Practice (Oxford 2009)

JULIAN D M LEW, LOUKAS A MISTELIS, STEFAN M KRÖLL, Comparative International Commercial Arbitration (Kluwer, 2003)

J MERRILLS, International Dispute Settlement (Cambridge UP, 4th ed, 2005) – another good text for a part of the course

PETER MUCHLINSKI FEDERICO ORTINO & CHRISTOPH SCHREUER (EDS), Oxford Handbook of International Investment Law (Oxford 2008) – a comprehensive coverage

ANDREW NEWCOMBE AND LLUIS PARADELL, Law and Practice of Investment Treaties. Standards of Treatment (Kluwer 2009)

D PALMETER & P C MAVROIDIS, Dispute Settlement in the World Trade Organization – Practice and Procedure (2nd edition 2003)

AUGUST REINISCH (Ed), Standards of Investment Protection (Oxford 2008)

NOAH RUBINS AND STEPHEN KINSELLA, International Investment, Political Risk and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (OUP 2005)

MONIQUE SASSON, Substantive Law in Investment Treaty Arbitration. The Unsettled Relationship between International Law and Municipal Law, Kluwer Law International, 2010

CHRISTOPH SCHREUER WITH LORETTA MALINTOPPI, AUGUST REINISCH, ANTHONY SINCLAIR, The ICSID Convention: A Commentary (Cambridge UP and ICSID, 2nd edition 2009)

M SORNARAJAH, The International Law on Foreign Investment, (Cambridge UP, 2nd ed, 2004)

PETER VAN DEN BOSSCHE, The Law and Policy of the World Trade Organization: Text, Cases and Materials (Cambridge 2008)

KATIA YANNACA-SMALL (Ed), Arbitration Under International Investment Agreements - A Guide to the Key Issues (OUP 2010)