The internet has transformed the manner of conducting commercial transactions and has created regulatory gaps. These regulatory gaps may impact the effective development of electronic commerce. Attempts are being made to regulate electronic contracts both at the national and international level. The present research analyses these attempts, in particular the Electronic Transaction Legislation ...

Globalization is something more than a purely economic phenomenon manifesting itself on a global scale. During the last few decades, human dynamics, institutional change, political relations, and the global environment have become more intertwined. Among these visible manifestations of globalization are the greater international movement of goods and services, financial capital, information and...

This issue's "Legal Briefing" column covers recent legal developments involving POLST (physician orders for life-sustaining treatment.) POLST has been the subject of recent articles in JCE. It has been the subject of major policy reports and a recent New York Times editorial. And POLST has been the subject of significant legislative, regulatory, and policy attention over the past several months...

Occurring against the backdrop of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza and fears of a global influenza pandemic, the revision of the International Health Regulations (IHR or Regulations) is one of the most significant developments in international health law in recent years. The previous Regulations, outdated and notoriously ineffective, have been comprehensively revised, p...

For more than 20 years the off-label use of drugs has been an essential part of the ethical and legal considerations regarding the international regulation of drug licensing. Despite a number of regulatory initiatives in the European Union, there seems to remain a largely unsatisfactory situation following a number of critical descriptions and statements from actors in the field. The present ar...

Commitments are a persistent feature of international affairs. Disagreement over the effect of international commitments and the causes of compliance with them is equally persistent. Yet in the last decade the long-standing divide between those who believed that international rules per se shaped state behavior and those who saw such rules as epiphenomena1 or insignificant has given way to a mor...