International Law as Behavior: An Agenda

International Law as Behavior (Harlan Grant Cohen & Timothy Meyer eds., Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming).

University of Georgia School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2020-01

Dean Rusk International Center Research Paper No. 2020-01

14 Pages Posted: 16 Jan 2020

See all articles by Harlan Grant Cohen

Harlan Grant Cohen

Fordham Law School; University of Georgia School of Law; University of Georgia - Dean Rusk International Law Center

Timothy Meyer

Duke University School of Law

Date Written: January 15, 2020

Abstract

Over the past few decades, scholars in a variety of fields – economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and international relations, among others – have made enormous strides studying the behavioral roots of international law by exploring individual motivations, describing organizational cultures, and mapping communities of practice. Taken together, the work of these scholars presents a complex, nuanced understanding of how international law works. However, these projects are rarely considered together: often separated by academic enclosures and focused on different subfields within international law, communication among scholars using different methodologies is restricted. The goal of this book is to break down some of these barriers and provide a glimpse of what an international law more focused on behavior and more engaged with these other fields might look like.

This introductory chapter aims to provide a roadmap in this effort by describing international law's long interest in behavior and the past attempts to explore that relationship, exploring the book's approach and laying out the contributions in each chapter, and beginning the process of bringing these insights together and outlining a series of takeaways for future study of international law as behavior.

Keywords: international law, acts, practice, international relations, psychology, soft law, deadlines, anthropology, criminal tribunals, neuroscience, human rights, diplomacy, cooperation, sanctions, bias

JEL Classification: F53, F55, K33

Suggested Citation

Cohen, Harlan Grant and Meyer, Timothy, International Law as Behavior: An Agenda (January 15, 2020). International Law as Behavior (Harlan Grant Cohen & Timothy Meyer eds., Cambridge University Press, Forthcoming). , University of Georgia School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2020-01, Dean Rusk International Center Research Paper No. 2020-01, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3520014 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3520014

Harlan Grant Cohen (Contact Author)

Fordham Law School ( email )

150 West 62 Street
New York, NY 10023
United States

University of Georgia School of Law ( email )

Hirsch Hall
Athens, GA 30602
United States
706-542-5166 (Phone)

University of Georgia - Dean Rusk International Law Center ( email )

100 Herty Drive
Athens, GA 30602-6018
United States

Timothy Meyer

Duke University School of Law ( email )

210 Science Drive
Box 90362
Durham, NC 27708
United States

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