Project overview - Saumya Raval

Research Question:

Which regulatory approach is better suited to govern sustainable global value chains: due diligence obligations or market access regulations?

Why does this research matter?

My research focuses on comparing different regulatory approaches – at the international, regional and national level – aimed at governing sustainable global value chains. This includes analyses of mandatory due diligence laws, soft-law instruments as well as free trade agreements. The goal is to develop a nuanced understanding of how legal frameworks shape the structure and behaviour of global value chains and how legal instruments on different levels interact, whether by complimenting or potentially contradicting each other.

I aim to move beyond the notion of law as merely an external regulatory, instead conceptualising it as an internal determinant that actively influences the design and operation of global value chains. Through this perspective, I hope to contribute to the development of regulatory models that effectively promote sustainability while being sensitive to global economic realities.

Key Objectives

1. Systematic Comparison 

- Identify differences & commonalities

- Provide illustrative examples for the respective approaches 

2. Normative Comparison

- Efficiency

- Legitimacy

- Compatibility with other legal systems

3. Evaluation

- Relationship of the approaches

- Possibilities for smart mix & legal innovation