This page of the research guide provides more detailed descriptions of the free and subscription-based electronic platforms available for researching international investment law. These resources are divided into two categories. The first category includes resources that focus exclusively on international investment law and and investor-state arbitration. The second category includes resources that cover international investment law and other subjects.
The content available on each platform varies. Some platforms are better than others for specific types of content. Read the descriptions carefully to determine which platform best meets your needs. If you aren't sure, feel free to ask a librarian for guidance.
Electronic Resources That Focus Exclusively on International Investment Law
The subscription databases described below focus exclusively on international investment law and investor-state arbitration.
- Investment Arbitration Reporter (IAR)
IAR publishes articles and commentary about pending and recently concluded investor-state arbitrations. Search by keyword or browse by country, topic, industry or treaty. IAR also has profiles of leading arbitrators.
- Investment Claims
This database includes more than 900 arbitral decisions and awards, more than 1,200 bilateral investment treaties, and overviews of investment treaty practices in 19 jurisdictions. It also has selected journal articles and book chapters on investment law published by Oxford University Press.
- Investment Policy Hub
This free resource, maintained and regularly updated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), covers national laws and policies governing foreign investment, investment treaties, investor-state disputes, and related matters.
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Investor State Law Guide (ISLG)
ISLG's Dispute Documents database includes arbitral decisions and awards, party pleadings, amicus briefs, and procedural orders. ISLG also offers the following analytical tools:
- Subject Navigator - Use this tool to search or browse for arbitral decisions by topic.
- Article Citator - Use this tool to determine how arbitral tribunals have interpreted specific provisions from hundreds of bilateral investment treaties, free trade agreements, and arbitration rules.
- Jurisprudence Citator - Use this tool to determine whether an arbitral decision has been cited and/or followed by tribunals in subsequent investor-state disputes.
- To access video tutorials that explain how to use the analytical tools described above, click on the "Knowledge Center" link in the upper right-hand corner of the ISLG homepage. Or visit the ISLG YouTube channel.
Electronic Resources That Cover International Investment Law and Other Content
All of the resources described below cover both international investment law and international commercial arbitration between private parties. Jus Mundi also covers international trade disputes and inter-state disputes (public international law). If you use these resources, you may need to apply pre-search or post-search filters to limit the results to investor-state materials.
- Global Arbitration Review (GAR)
Use this specialized news source to monitor the latest developments in investor-state and international commercial arbitration. (Sign up for email alerts using your GULC email address.) GAR also publishes topical practice guides, annual reviews of developments in arbitration by geographic region, and annual surveys. To access this content, select "Surveys" or "Insights" on the main menu bar at the top of the homepage. Note: When accessing GAR off-campus, you may need to click on the "Log In" link in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage to access the full texts of articles. You do not need to enter a user name and password. Just clicking on the link should suffice.
- Jus Mundi
Jus Mundi's user-friendly database includes bilateral investment treaties, arbitration rules, arbitral awards and decisions issued in investor-state disputes, related documentation (including party submissions and expert opinions), as well as court decisions concerning the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. To search or browse for arbitral decisions, related documentation, and court decisions, select "Cases" from the main menu. After the page refreshes, use the filters on the right to select "Investor-State" as Type of Case. Then apply additional filters or enter search terms in the search box at the top of the page.
- Kluwer Arbitration
Kluwer Arbitration's searchable database includes the full texts of bilateral investment treaties, as well as arbitral decisions and awards issued in investor-state disputes. It also provides access to secondary sources, including e-books and articles published in 24 journals that focus on international arbitration. The Kluwer Arbitration Blog publishes informed commentary written by leading practitioners. To limit searches to investor-state content, open the Search Filters by clicking on the white triangle to the left of the search box. Then use the Topic filter to limit your search to "Investment Arbitration."
- Transnational Dispute Management (TDM)
TDM publishes an online journal featuring peer-reviewed articles about investor-state disputes and other transnational commercial disputes. TDM also offers a database of primary legal materials, which includes bilateral investment treaties, arbitral decisions and awards, and national legislation governing foreign investment. In addition, TDM hosts OGEMID, a moderated discussion forum that focuses primarily on investment disputes in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.
