FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT & THE RULE OF LAW: Call for proposals

 CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR A SPECIAL ISSUE OF ACTA JURIDICA

The Acta Juridica invites proposals for its special issue: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) & The Rule of Law. Contributors will be invited to attend a Colloquium to be held in Cape Town on 27 & 28 July 2017 where the research and findings will be presented with the objectives of determining the common and overlapping themes in linking FDI and the Rule of Law in specific areas of law. It is proposed that the outcomes of the colloquium be published in the 2018 Acta Juridica, to be edited by Debbie Collier, Tracy Gutuza and Silindile Buthelezi of the University of Cape Town.

Following the colloquium the contributors will submit the final papers (maximum of 5000 words) to the editors by 02 October 2017. We are accepting proposals in the form of 500-750 word abstracts. The editors will prepare an introductory chapter and if necessary, commission articles to address specific issues. All the papers will be subjected to a double blind peer review process, overseen by the editors. It is expected that the finalised text would be submitted by November 2017.

Submission and Review Timeline 

• Proposals including tentative contributor list due 03 March 2017.
• Contributors will be contacted with final determination about submissions by 03 April 2017.
• First draft manuscripts submissions are due 30 June 2017.
• Colloquium to be held 27 & 28 July 2017 at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
• Final draft manuscript submissions are due 02 October 2017.

The Acta Juridica is an annual thematic journal published by Juta Law in conjunction with the Faculty of Law of the University of Cape Town. It is a peer reviewed and edited journal.

In the context of the need to grow the South African economy, the role of, and the need for, FDI as a source of capital and a contributor to economic growth is both acknowledged and contested. A recent collaborative study on the link between FDI and the Rule of Law by, among others, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law indicated that the Rule of Law is an important factor in the decision by corporate investors to undertake investment in a foreign jurisdiction. While the above study considered the role of the Rule of Law across a number of jurisdictions, we propose a consideration in the context of FDI in Africa, with a particular emphasis on South Africa and South African Law, in particular the impact of the Constitution, the legal framework for FDI, and related areas of law including, but not limited to, labour law, tax law, intellectual property law, technology law, international trade law, company law/corporate governance, and competition law. These themes will include the strategic and policy considerations of the particular areas in relation to FDI, the impact of the chosen policy and legislative framework on FDI, the administrative aspects (procedure) of implementing the policy and legislative framework and the impact of FDI.

It is envisaged that the colloquium will consist of three themes: 1. FDI & Economic Growth: Theoretical Perspectives; 2. FDI: International law & Investment Treaties; 3. FDI and the Regulatory Framework in South Africa. Within these themes, we envisage the following topics (but other proposals are also welcome):

1.What is FDI and when is it desirable?

2.FDI in Africa

3.The link between FDI, the Rule of Law and Economic Development in Economic Theory

4.Bilateral Investment Treaties and FDI relationship through econometric studies: why doinvestors decide to invest

5.International Law protection of foreign investments

6.FDI and Tax Law

7.FDI and Employment Law/Labour standards

8.FDI and Intellectual Property

9.FDI and the Transfer of Technology

10.FDI and Corporate Governance

11.FDI and Regional Development

12.FDI and Transfer Pricing

13.FDI and Competition Law

14.The link between FDI, the Bilateral Investment Treaties and the financial services industry

Proposals should be submitted to the special issue editors: Debbie Collier (debbie.collier@uct.ac.za ), Tracy Gutuza (tracy.gutuza@uct.ac.za ) or Silindile Buthelezi (silindile.buthelezi@uct.ac.za ).