Valentina Vadi, Proportionality, Reasonableness and Standards of Review in International Investment Law and Arbitration

Abstract

Valentina Vadi, professor at Lancaster University Law School, is a prolific author who skilfully combines different fields of international law with international investment law (IIL). Her books cover the interplay of IIL with public health or cultural heritage. Vadi’s “well-established reputation in studies of the interaction of other fields of law with international investment law” is acknowledged on the back cover of the book by the one and only Prof. M. Sornarajah. This time, she invites us for yet another legal cross-country journey. Proportionality, Reasonableness and Standards of Review in International Investment Law and Arbitration is an attempt to subject these institutions, oft-quoted but frequently lacking adequate methodological rigour, to systematic analysis. The topic of the book presents a daunting task even for such a well-established author to tackle in as much as it attempts to consider the matter in a concise yet carefully structured manner. Vadi’s approach aims to do this mostly by synthesising the substantive analysis of even more renowned colleagues. As a result, the reader may be inspired by the spectrum of problems and yet somewhat puzzled about the central questions behind these problems; thus the more fundamental question of who should reach for this book and how they read it is raised.

Unless otherwise stated, all references are to the reviewed book and chapters therein.