Institutional Developments in Investment Law and Policy

The dynamism of investment law was channelled through international institutions to a greater extent in 2017 than ever before. For decades, investment law has been defined by its decentralization—by the absence of an institutional hub for multilateral deliberations—and by the difficulty of accessing information about investment treaty negotiations or investor–state arbitrations. As institutions led the way towards more deliberation and increased transparency, the slow-moving redefinition of investment law continued in 2017. While the outcomes of this redefinition are not yet clear (and it remains to be seen if this redefinition will lead to more inclusive and institutionalized multilateral cooperation in investment law), what is clear is that institutions are players, and fields of play, to watch.