[Dr. Johan Horst] Seminar zum Völkerrecht
Dozent: Dr. Johan Horst
Modulzuordnung: MA-IB-SVR
Seminar
The Law and Political Economy of the Post-Liberal International Economic Order
The law of the international economic order has long been contested terrain, shaped by power asymmetries and colonial legacies, as well as by fundamentally different views on the relationship between law and the economy. Debates over terms of trade, the New International Economic Order (NIEO), the Washington Consensus, and the Post‑Washington Consensus attest to this. At the heart of these debates lie clashes among economic schools of thought: classical and neoclassical economics, welfare and institutional economics, as well as Keynesian, Neo‑Ricardian, heterodox, and Marxist approaches. These schools offered fundamentally different views on the purpose and function of law in ordering the international economy, yet they shared one core assumption: that the international economic order is principally shaped by mutually agreed legal rules—that it is, in essence, a legal order.
Today, that premise is increasingly in question amid the erosion of the international rule of law, often framed as the end of liberalism. The familiar divide between liberal/neoliberal positions and heterodox/protectionist positions appears to be giving way to a new fault line between authoritarian unilateralism and proponents of a law‑based international economic order in a broader sense.
This research seminar examines the implications of this shift for international economic law at doctrinal and theoretical levels. We will survey key historical debates on the political economy of international law and assess their relevance for the present (I.); take an in‑depth look at the crisis of WTO law and the WTO Appellate Body, analyzing causes, consequences, and possible pathways for reform (II.); examine the crisis of investment arbitration, including legitimacy challenges (III.); engage with recent EU trade agreements (IV.); consider developments in the international regulation of natural resources (V.); and finally debate proposals for the future architecture of a law‑based international economic order (VI).
The seminar is open to all interested students who are willing to thoroughly engage with the topics and actively participate in the discussions.
Seminar topics
I. Historical debates – what can we learn from them?
1. Reconsidering the terms-of-trade debate
2. A new look at the proposal for a New International Economic Order (NIEO)
3. Beyond Washington Consensus and Post-Washington Consensus?
II. The crisis of WTO law
4. The turn to bilateralism and the future of WTO law
5. The crisis of the WTO Appellate Body and the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA)
III. The EU’s recent trade deals
6. To trade or not to trade 1: A critical assessment of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and the interim Trade Agreement (iTA)
7. To trade or not to trade 2: A critical assessment of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement
IV. The crisis of investment arbitration
8. Investment arbitration and EU law. The spectre of autonomy of EU law
9. The crisis of investment arbitration: a legitimacy crisis?
V. Resource Law between security interests and ecological concerns
10. The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRM Act)
11. Regulating the commons: the case of deep-sea mining
VI. To trade or not to trade? Proposals for the way ahead
12. A renewed liberal foundation for the future of international economic law
13. A postcolonial view on the future of international economic law
14. A heterodox view on the future of international economic law
Organizational Notes
The seminar will take place on July, 17-18, 2026.
A preliminary meeting will take place on Tuesday April 14, at 9:20 a.m. in the following virtual conference room: https://tu-dresden.zoom-x.de/j/64067674636?pwd=W1LZDEOtr9WnGf4jBRY0ebhf5R3nop.1.
Registration:
Registration for the seminar via OPAL will take place from Wednesday, April 15, 09:00 a.m., and is possible until Wednesday, April 20, 2026, 23:59 p.m.
OPAL course: https://bildungsportal.sachsen.de/opal/auth/RepositoryEntry/53521580049?11
Expected Performance
A detailed outline (no more than one to two pages) of the paper must be submitted by Friday, May 22, 2026, at the latest to the following email address: johan.horst@tu-dresden.de.
Ø Please read the Tips on Writing an Exposé for a Seminar Paper in International Law for further guidance.
During the block seminar, the previous research findings and theses will be presented orally. The length of the presentation is 20 minutes. Approximately 30 minutes are allowed for the subsequent discussion. You are also welcome to prepare questions and hypotheses for the subsequent group discussion. The oral presentation counts for 10% of the grade.
Participants must submit their seminar papers of 20 pages as pdf-documents via email to Dr. Johan Horst (johan.horst@tu-dresden.de) until July 10, 2026.
Ø Please read the Binding Guidelines for Writing a Paper in International Law for further information.