Category: News

7 positions in new research project on accountability for human rights (deadline: 11 April 2021)

The new research project Future–proofing human rights – developing thicker forms of accountability is hiring 7 researchers at PhD and postdoctoral level.

The researchers will be based at different Flemish universities (Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Hasselt) and will work on different but related topics. At the University of Antwerp, the Law and Development Research Group (an LDRN partner) is hiring a postdoc on new duty-bearers.

About the project

The researchers will collaborate on a project that examines how better accountability for human rights violations can be achieved. The aim is to ensure better human rights protection in line with the everyday experience of rights holders.

This is an interdisciplinary project open to candidates with a background in law, criminology, sociology, political science, anthropology or related disciplines.

Read more about the project on this page, in this summary or in this detailed document, and contact the coordinators or relevant PIs for further information.

About the Postdoctoral position at Antwerp University – New duty-bearers

The Law and Development Research Group at the University of Antwerp is seeking to fill one full-time 48-month fully-funded postdoc fellowship.

The successful candidate will help coordinate project proposals in the field of human rights and contribute to attracting external funding, will fulfill a limited number of teaching activities, and will participate in the provision of academic services.

The position will primarily be based at the Law and Development Research Group of the Faculty of Law of the University of Antwerp. Mature candidates who are able to work in an interdisciplinary environment are sought, ideally with experience of doing research on the topic of human rights accountability/new duty- bearers in human rights law (for more information, click here).

This position is supervised by prof. dr. Wouter Vandenhole.

Applications must be received by April 11, 2021 at 23:59 CET.

Apply by submitting the requested information to wouter.vandenhole [at] uantwerpen.be

Application deadline extended for ISS-Wits joint PhD programme (new deadline: 1 March 2021)

LDRN partner institutions International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) are inviting applications for their joint PhD programme,  on a range of topics in international law, society and development.  Owing to the ongoing pandemic situation, the call for applications has been extended until 1 March 2021.

The successful candidate will receive a partial scholarship, in the form of:

Preference will be given to candidates from the global South.

Further information and application details are available here, on the Wits website

Six Leverhulme Trust TRANSFORM doctoral scholarships available at University of Warwick (deadline: 7 March 2021)

Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship Programme TRANSFORM now open for applications

  • 6 fully funded PhD scholarships available in 2021
  • Applicants can either choose from four suggested topic areas or develop their own topic area within the TRANSFORM themes.
  • Applications close on 7th March 2021 (GMT)
  • UK (home) and international students are eligible to apply for the scholarship

The call for applications for six doctoral scholarships under the TRANSFORM programme at the University of Warwick (an LDRN partner institution) is now open. Successful applicants will enter a new four-year PhD programme in Global Sustainable Development.  They will be trained in how to advance sustainability in the real world, getting to the root of huge challenges like boosting climate resilience and establishing healthier cities.

Called ‘TRANSFORM: Transformations of Human-Environment Interactions to Sustainable Development’, the doctoral scholarship programme is directed by Professor João Porto de Albuquerque, who is also the Director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick.

Each doctoral scholar will receive academic supervision from two Warwick experts in separate fields (such as engineering, medicine, business, humanities, arts, and law), as well as mentorship from a partner organisation (such as UN-Habitat, the British Geological Survey, African Population and Health Research Centre).

This year, candidates have the option either to apply for one of four suggested research topics or to propose their own research under one of the three research themes of the programme.

Suggested topics include:

Full details of the application process, including topics, guidance and eligibility, can be found at warwick.ac.uk/transform/apply/

The closing date is 7th March 2021.

Call for submissions: Elgar Studies in Law, Development and Global Justice

Call for submissions: Elgar Studies in Law, Development and Global Justice

The series editors, John Harrington, Celine Tan and Wouter Vandenhole (from LDRN partner institutions Cardiff University, University of Warwick, and University of Antwerp respectively)  welcome submissions to the Elgar Studies in Law, Development and Global Justice book series.

This series explores the relationship between law, development and global justice. It provides a platform for critical engagement with and interdisciplinary perspectives on the role and impact of law, defined in its broadest and most pluralistic sense, on economic development and social and political organisation. The series seeks contributions animated by a concern with global, social and gender justice, broadly understood, and welcomes both theoretically and empirically informed approaches to these issues. The series particularly welcomes contributions focused on and originating from the global south. Proposals are sought across the wide range of substantive legal areas, such as international trade and investment law, intellectual property law, international development law, environmental law, human rights, gender and the law, constitutional law, health law, housing and land law, and strategic and public interest litigation. It also seeks innovative work on the pedagogy and methodologies of law and development.

The series aims to bring scholarship on and from the global south to the widest possible audience, and the publisher is committed to ensuring the widest possible access. In particular, books are included in two schemes which provide free or low-cost access to libraries in developing countries.

Please see the website of the Elgar Studies in Law, Development and Global Justice for further details.

The Encyclopedia of Law and Development is here!

Koen De Feyter, Gamze Erdem Türkelli & Stéphanie de Moerloose (eds), “Encyclopedia of Law and Development” (Edward Elgar, 2021)

The Law and Development Research Network (LDRN) is thrilled to announce that the Encyclopedia of Law and Development is now available from Edward Elgar Publishing. This encyclopedia is the outcome of a long collaboration among editors and associate editors from six LDRN partner institutions, as well as around 80 contributors, including a large number of individual LDRN members (full list below). It will be accessible to institutions in the Global South via EIFL and GOALI. 

An online launch event will be announced soon. Subscribe to the LDRN newsletter to stay up to date!

This Encyclopedia is an indispensable resource on law and development  which brings together various approaches, contextualised histories, recent developments and forward-looking insights. It is an invaluable reference for scholars seeking to engage with issues at the intersection of law and development, and provides a thorough but concise overview for post-graduate students.

The Encyclopedia showcases a variety of perspectives and voices, featuring both emerging and senior researchers, as well as a majority of contributors from the Global South. This reflection of the diversity of the field and its future direction also makes the Encyclopedia a useful source for law and development curricula globally.

Read the introductory chapter here

‘The full realization of the right to development is still a long quest for the international community. This unique and pioneering Encyclopedia reveals and deconstructs the power of law in achieving development in its economic, social, cultural, environmental and political dimensions. De Feyter, Erdem Türkelli and de Moerloose have concocted a masterpiece that highlights how lawyers can contribute to the welfare of the developing world as much as Amartya Sen.’
– Makane Moïse Mbengue, University of Geneva & SciencesPo Law School

An online launch event will be announced soon. Subscribe to the LDRN newsletter to stay up to date!

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General Editors: 

Koen De Feyter, University of Antwerp

Gamze Erdem Türkelli, University of Antwerp

Stéphanie de Moerloose, Universidad Austral 

Associate Editors: 

Philipp Dann, Humboldt University Berlin (Actors)

Avinash Govindjee, Nelson Mandela University (SDGs)

Elina Pirjatanniemi, Åbo Akademi University (Governance & Human Rights)

Celine Tan, University of Warwick (Economic Law)

Editorial Assistant: Alberto Pecoraro, University of Antwerp

Contributors: F. Adebisi, T. Adebola, S. Airey, M. Ajigboye, A. Asteriti, V. Bellinkx, J. Bendel, M.V. Berros, K. Bhatt, J. Botha, D. Casalin, D.R. Coutinho, L. Crouse, P. Dann, D. Davitti, K. de Feyter, R. de Mattos Pimenta, S. de Moerloose, J. Dehm, J. Dellaux, D. Desai, D.A. Dolabjian, T. Dollmaier, G. Erdem Türkelli, J.B. Etcheverry, M. Fakhri, O. Ferraz, C. Frison, L. García, J. Gibson, M. Goodwin, A. Govindjee, L.G. Guimarães, A.-L. Heusala, M. Heikkila, V. Henrique Pinto Ido, G. Jokubauskaite, M. Kaltenborn, N. Latif, Y.S. Lee, H. Lell, L. Lizarazo-Rodríguez, N. Maseka, D. Mathew, G. Mokone, N. Monebhurrun, M. Mustaniemi-Laakso, F.M. Ndahinda, S.C. Neder Cerezetti, O. Okafor, J. Okonjo, A. Ordor, A. Pecoraro, J.K. Pela, A. Punj, I. Qoraboyev, T. Qotoyi, M. Riegner, J. Rodgers, I. Sabbatella, R.L. Sakr, M. Sattorova, D. Saxena, M. Scheinin, M. Skladany, A. Škrbić, U. Soni, P. Stacey, Y. Suedi, C. Tan, D. Trubek, J. Ubink, A. Vandenbogaerde, W. Vandenhole, A. Vanni, A.C. Vieira, L.D. Villafuerte Philippsborn, P. Vrancken, A. Waris

Upcoming academic opportunities: February and later deadlines

Vacancies / fellowships

Doctoral fellow – International law & economic activities in areas of contested statehood – Western Sahara | University of Ghent, Belgium (deadline: 20 February 2021)

5 vacancies (4 PhD & 1 post-doctoral) – Development studies  | Institute of Development Policy – University of Antwerp, Belgium (deadline: 7 March 2021)

NIAS Individual Fellowships | Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (deadline: 15 March 2021)

15 PhD positions – Eradicating Poverty: Pathways towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals | European Joint Doctorate Consortium ADAPTED, various locations  | (deadline: 31 March 2021)

Calls for papers

Human Development & Capability Association – 2021 Conference | University of Antwerp, Belgium (hybrid) | 13 – 15 September 2021 (proposal deadline: 15 February 2021)

COVID-19 and “New” Human Rights – blog symposium | Völkerrechtsblog / Global Pandemic Network (submission deadline: 17 February 2021)

Law and Development Review – 2022 issues (recommended submission deadline: 1 June 2021)

Watch: LDRN webinar highlights developing questions for (post-)pandemic law and development research

On 9 December 2020, at a Law and Development Research Network (LDRN) webinar hosted by the Nelson Mandela University Faculty of Law, expert speakers from the network unravelled the implications of the pandemic for law & development research agendas on four highly relevant and interconnected themes: global public health, climate change, poverty and gender, and sovereign debt.

See the panel presentations here

Dr. Rachel Hammonds (University of Antwerp, Belgium) set the scene with an overview of key global public health debates which will be prominent on post-COVID-19 research agendas, such as equity and fairness in relation to vaccine access (as well as broader global health objectives), and multilateralism in global health governance. Dr. Hammonds highlighted the tension between the right to health and global health security paradigms as a central theme in many of these debates.

Dr. Stellina Jolly (South Asian University, India) outlined important lessons from the pandemic for addressing climate change, such as the need for public participation in preparedness and adaptation, as well as attention to human rights and pre-existing inequalities. Dr. Jolly further examined the intersections between climate change, COVID-19 and other themes relevant to global justice, with a focus on regulatory, comparative and socio-legal issues which will require attention from researchers.

Prof. Monica Sapucaia Machado (Instituto de Direito Público, Brazil) highlighted the pandemic’s exacerbation of existing inequalities and its disproportionate gendered impacts in terms of care work, risk of infection, and risk of poverty. Prof. Sapucaia Machado further outlined legal and policy measures taken to address these impacts in some countries most affected by the pandemic, particularly in the field of social protection.

Dr. Celine Tan (University of Warwick, UK) focused on the sovereign debt crisis arising from the pandemic, and its operational and substantive repercussions for development and related research. Dr. Tan highlighted crucial intersections between development agendas and the structure of global finance, as well as the need to understand the role of finance in all areas of law & development research; to focus further on the concepts of debt and redistribution; and to support a plurality of research which amplifies marginalized voices.

The panel discussion and Q&A were moderated by Prof. Joanna Botha (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa). In the discussion with the panelists, participants raised a number of pertinent issues relating, e.g., to defining essential services (especially regarding domestic violence and mental health); the role of law in ensuring sustainability of economic recovery measures; investor litigation against public health protection measures; and taxation to fund vaccine purchases.

Watch the full webinar recording here 

LDRN member publications & recordings – December 2020

Publications

Ajla Skrbic, Constitutional Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Can We Expect It in The Near Future?, International Association of Constitutional Law, Melbourne, Australia, 2020

Ajla Skrbic, Cijena protesta: Prakse nadleznih institucija u oblasti slobode okupljanja u BiH (BCS)/ The Price of Protests: Freedom of Assembly Practices of the Competent Institutions in BiH (ENG), Human Rights Edition, Sarajevo Open Centre, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2020

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LDRN members are welcome to announce their latest publications or webinar recordings via this list – please send references and links to the Editor by the final Monday of the month (the next list will appear at the end of January)

Upcoming academic opportunities & events: January and later deadlines

Vacancies / fellowships

Postdoctoral researcher ERC Starting Grant ‘CURIAE VIRIDES’ in the area of sustainable development law | Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (deadline: 4 January 2021)

5 PhD positions – Humanitarian Governance in Colombia, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), climate related displacement, and humanitarian ethics | International Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands (deadline: 4 January 2021)

Faculty Scholar – Access to Justice Scholars Program | American Bar Foundation / JPB Foundation (non-residential) (deadline: 15 January 2021)

NIAS Theme Group Fellowships |Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (deadline: 15 January 2021)

Doctoral fellow – International law & economic activities in areas of contested statehood – Western Sahara | University of Ghent, Belgium (deadline: 20 February 2021)

NIAS Individual Fellowships | Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (deadline: 15 March 2021)

Assistant Professor – Sociology | Loyola University Chicago, USA (deadline: rolling)

Assistant Professor – Criminology | Dominican University, USA (deadline: rolling)

Calls for papers

Re-Imagining Agenda 2063 – A Socio-Legal Foundation of the Africa We Want | Peter A. Allard School of Law and the Liu Institute Network for Africa (virtual) | 21 – 25 June 2021 (abstract deadline: 31 January 2021)

Human Development & Capability Association – 2021 Conference | University of Antwerp, Belgium (hybrid) | 13 – 15 September 2021 (proposal deadline: 15 February 2021)

New book: Stéphanie de Moerloose, “World Bank environmental and social conditionality as a vector of sustainable development” (Schulthess, 2020)

Stéphanie de Moerloose, “World Bank environmental and social conditionality as a vector of sustainable development” (Schulthess, 2020)

There has been heated debate regarding the legitimacy and implementation of the World Bank Group’s environmental and social safeguards. These safeguards are nevertheless instrumental vectors of sustainable development in recipient countries, as they are included in conditionality in loan agreements. This book therefore addresses the issue of how to reinforce the safeguards’ role as effective vectors of sustainable development, while avoiding sovereignty infringement and dealing with non-compliance.

In addressing this key question, the book first aims to diagnose the problems faced by conditionality based on environmental and social safeguards. Subsequently, through three case studies, it proposes different avenues for change, e.g. human rights-based harmonization of safeguards across Multilateral Development Banks; institutional changes in the World Bank Group; and a strict assessment of the suitability of the recipient’s context for implementing the safeguards.

Prof. Stéphanie de Moerloose is a Swiss National Science Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Humboldt University of Berlin and an Affiliated Professor at the Faculty of Law of Universidad Austral, Argentina (both LDRN partner institutions). She is currently a member of the LDRN steering committee.