The Global South and the International Economic Legal Order: Universal Reform/Regional Enfranchisement

Given the mixed experience of the Global South with the international economic legal architecture, one can identify two types of contestations. On the one hand, contestations are directed at the universal reform of international economic architecture. On the other hand, contestations have resulted in tectonic shifts: countries in the Global South have moved away from universalism to regional economic emancipation. This chapter aims to explore the challenges the Global South is facing in the international economic order in light of these parallel distinct forms of contestations. As the chapter demonstrates, these two types of contestations are not always separate from international reform efforts or regional enfranchisement. Yet, the distinction helps understand the direction of international economic law vis-à-vis the Global South. This chapter sheds light on the extent of enfranchisement of the Global South in the international economic order. It primarily focuses on international investment law and international trade law.