In the wake of the Asian financial crisis that erupted in 1997, an intense scrutiny of the principles and standards of the world's financial system was inevitable. This book presents the insight and practical proposals of 25 experts, including economists, lawyers, bankers, academics and officials from international financial institutions. The contributions offered here were originally presented at a series of conferences sponsored in 1999 and 2000 by the Asian Institute of International Financial Law of the University of Hong Kong in collaboration with leading law faculties from five continents. The issues confronted in this book include the following: reform of domestic securities regulation; investment insurance and risk management; the role of pension funds; accounting standards; financing real estate and construction projects; global competitiveness in the financial sector; responsibility of private lenders; effective anti-money laundering measures; protection of emerging market economies; corporate governance; and institutional investors.

Edited by three leading scholars whose expertise spans finance, economics, and law, Finance in Asia is a new collection from Routledge's Critical Concepts in Finance series. The foundational and cutting-edge scholarship assembled in this easy-to-use, one-stop resource enables users easily to access and make sense of an explosion of scholarly output on Asia's distinctive financial institutions, markets, and systems. The collection will be especially welcomed by scholars and students seeking a full understanding of contemporary Asian finance, particularly those in search of a forward-looking view of the second generation of Asian finance. The collection will also appeal to researchers eager to engage with vital questions about law, institutions, and regulation, and their impact on transaction formation and performance, and on the behaviour of the financial sector in Asia. Indeed, in the current economic climate, with international financial systems still buffeted by extreme turbulence, such questions have never been more pertinent. Finance in Asia is fully indexed. It also includes a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editors, which places the material in its intellectual and historical context.

'Bretton Woods' has become shorthand for the post-war international financial and economic framework. Mindful of the historic 1944 conference and its legacy for the discipline of international economic law, the American Society of International Law's International Economic Law Group (IELG) chose Bretton Woods as the venue for a landmark scholarly meeting. In November of 2006, a diverse group of academics and practitioners gathered to reflect on the past, present and future of international economic law. They sought to survey and advance three particular areas of endeavour: research and scholarship, teaching, and practice/service. This book represents an edited collection of some of the exceptional papers presented at the conference including contributions from Andreas Lowenfeld, Joel Trachtman, Amelia Porges and Andrew Lang. The volume is organised into three parts, each covering one of the three pillars in the discipline of international economic law: research and scholarship; teaching; and practice/service. It begins with an assessment of the state and future of research in the field, including chapters on questions such as: what is international economic law? Is it a branch of international law or of economic law? How do fields outside of law, such as economics and international relations, relate to international economic law? How do research methodologies influence policy outcomes? The second part examines the state and future of teaching in the subject. Chapters cover topics such as: how and where is international economic law taught? Is the training provided in the law schools suitable for future academics, government officials, or practitioners? How might regional shortcomings in academic resources be addressed? The final part of the book focuses on the state and future of international economic law practice in the Bretton Woods era, including institutional reform. The contributors consider issues such as: what is the nature of international economic law practice? What are the needs of practitioners in government, private practice, international and non-governmental organisations? Finally, how have the Bretton Woods institutions adapted to these and other challenges-and how might they better respond in the future? International Economic Law: The State and Future of the Discipline will be of interest to lawyers, economists and other professionals throughout the world-whether in the private, public, academic or non-governmental sectors-seeking both fresh insights and expert assessments in this expanding field. Indeed, the book itself promises to play a role in the next phase of the development of international economic law.