News Archive

Professor Eric Dannenmaier has been invited to present a research paper on building democracy in international law at a conference in New Haven this spring.

Professor Dannenmaier’s work examines the idea of citizenship and sovereignty in international law and argues that international institutions can and should become more democratic. His research paper addresses an ongoing debate about the role of citizens in lawmaking and the resistance of some governments to engage non-state actors at the international level. It explores practical solutions such as public advisory committees created to advise parties to international trade agreements and public forums organized to inform inter-governmental negotiations and international institutions.

Dannenmaier will join a panel on Institutional Democratization during the 2-day conference on May 10-11, 2008, which is meant to “take stock of contemporary research and knowledge gaps at the intersection of institutions, public participation and environmental sustainability [and to] develop a research program and network to strengthen institutional approaches for effective and context-sensitive public participation in environmental governance.”

The conference, hosted by Yale and co-sponsored by its Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the UN Institute for Training and Research, will draw together about 150 participants from dozens of countries, including scholars and practitioners from governments, inter-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector. It is being organized in conjunction with the 16^th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which will be held in New York from 5-16 May.