News & Events
Two International Law Events Featuring Professor Jerome A. Cohen, NYU Law School
The Institute for Legal Research is pleased to announce two events featuring one of the leading experts in the world on Chinese legal development, Prof. Jerome A. Cohen, New York University and Council on Foreign Relations.
LECTURE ON "CHINA'S INFLUENCE ON INTERNATIONAL LAW"
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Warren Room (295 Boalt Hall), 12:45-2:00 pm
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A light lunch will be served.
This event is only open to UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff.
Sponsored by the Institute for Legal Research
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PANEL ON "THE FUTURE OF RULE OF LAW IN CHINA"
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
105 Boalt Hall, 4:00-5:30 pm (reception to follow)
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This event is free and open to the public.
China has made unprecedented progress in developing the elements of a comprehensive legal system, yet some have argued that China’s rule of law has been in full retreat in recent years. Prof. Jerome Cohen will deliver a keynote address on the future of rule of law in China. What sort of progress has China made in this regard? What can we expect in the wake of China’s recent leadership transition? What will developments in China mean for the United States? His remarks will be followed by comments from a distinguished panel of China experts.
Speaker:
Jerome A. Cohen
Professor of Law, New York University; Senior Fellow for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Panelists:
Stanley Lubman, Berkeley Law
Paul Pickowicz, History, UC San Diego
Rachel Stern, Berkeley Law
Alex Wang, Berkeley Law
Sponsored by the Institute for Legal Research, Berkeley Law; and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations' Public Intellectuals Program, which is funded by the Henry Luce and C.V. Starr Foundations
Additional funding from the Center for Chinese Studies, UC Berkeley
Co-sponsored by the Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley
Lecture on “The Rule of Mandates: How China Governs Over Law and Democracy”
Dr. Mayling Birney
International Development, London School of Economics
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Institute of East Asian Studies, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th floor
4:00-6:00 pm
Sponsored by the Center for Chinese Studies
Dr. Mayling Birney will present evidence that China uses a distinctive form of governing, what she calls a “rule of mandates” in contrast to a rule of law. Under a rule of mandates, standards for accountability are relative rather than absolute, as lower officials are effectively directed to adjust the local implementation of the center’s own laws and policies in order to meet the center’s highest priorities. In China, this governing system has helped promote stability and growth, yet curtailed the potential impact of rule of law and democratic reforms. The speaker demonstrates this impact by drawing on evidence from original surveys, interviews, and archival work. Yet she also explains why this governing system is likely to become more problematic for China in the future, potentially jeopardizing even the economic growth and stability it has thus far supported.
Event contact: ccs@berkeley.edu or 510-643-6321
Lecture on “ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, NATIVE RIGHTS, AND RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE ARCTIC”
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Kathryn J. Mengerink
Senior Attorney and Director, Ocean Program
Environmental Law Institute
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
10 Boalt Hall
3:30-5:30 pm
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Dr. Mengerink will also hold office hours to meet with students before her lecture
Location: 438 Boalt Hall
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm
Dr. Kathryn Mengerink will be presenting on the subject of U.S. environmental policy and the legal mechanisms for Alaska Native and U.S. federal government cooperation in resources management. Marine mammal protection, federal agency relations with the Indigenous Peoples organizations, and the relevance of emerging soft law norms in international law will be among the topics she will consider.
Dr. Mengerink is a JD graduate of Berkeley Law and holds the doctoral degree in marine biology from Scripps Institution.
Symposium Tribute to LOSI Scholar Professor Jon Van Dyke
A symposium tribute to the late Prof. Jon Van Dyke, "He Hali'a Aloha No Jon: Memories of Aloha for Jon," was held on the University of Hawaii campus from January 31-February 1, 2013. Guided by Prof. Van Dyke's interests, the symposium brought together international scholars to speak on issues from sea-level change to nuclear law to human rights.
Keynote addresses were offered by the Co-Directors of the Law of the Sea Institute, Profs. Harry Scheiber and David Caron.
This conference was the first to be held under the auspices of the newly-formed Jon Van Dyke Institute of International Law and Justice, which honors his work with indigenous peoples, environmental issues, and other concerns of global significance such as nuclear law.
In addition to the symposium, Governor Neal Abercrombie proclaimed February 1 as "Jon Van Dyke Day" in Hawaii to honor "the memory of a man whose lifetime was spent fighting for the underdog and forging new legal ground in his battles for justice and equality."
To read Prof. Van Dyke's obituary by Harry Scheiber and David Caron, please click here.