Winter Topic: Law and Society in South East Asia:

This course introduces students to the legal systems and legal traditions of South East Asia in the context of their plural societies, and considers the relationship between law, governance and development in the region over the span of modern history, with an emphasis on current issues in law and society.

This course will be taught by Professor Andrew Harding. Professor Harding is a leading scholar in the fields of Asian legal studies and comparative constitutional law. He is Law Professor and Director of the Centre for Asian Legal Studies and Director of the Asian Law Institute at the National University of Singapore.  The course will cover key literature and pressing issues concerning law, governance and development (and the development of law) in the region, including:

·         pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial law, including customary and religious law, and the impact of these on law and society at the present time;

·         the influence of legal transplants, state-building, and development initiatives;

·         critical consideration of theoretical frameworks used to make sense of a diversity of social, economic and political conditions in the region;

·         key issues relating to constitutionalism and nation-building, including representative democracy, and political movements;

·         domestic challenges such as ethnic and sectarian conflict;

·         the role of law in bringing socio-economic change in the developmental states of the region

Spring Topic: Energy Governance Policy and Regulation in the Asia-Pacific

This course introduces students to the challenges of designing energy policy, law, and regulation to meet the very different needs and objectives of countries within the Asia Pacific. In doing so it will consider the need to expand energy access, increase energy security, develop energy infrastructure, secure good energy governance; all while promoting clean energy to limit Asia's contributions to climate change. It will introduce students to both economic regulation and environmental regulation of energy, including how changes to economic regulation may improve environmental sustainability. It will also cover energy sector regulatory reforms (introduced by governments to move from public-sector to private sector models of energy provision), and will consider their effectiveness.

Climate change is now broadly recognised as humanity's greatest single challenge. Energy related CO2 emissions worldwide are projected to increase significantly by 2030, with much of this increase coming from Asia. Asia and the Pacific will suffer severe climate related disasters and many of climate change's worst effects. In considering these thematic issues, the course will (i) consider case-studies and draw upon examples of national policy and regulation from the People's Reupublic of China; India; South-east Asia, and the Pacific Islands; (ii) investigate examples of regional energy cooperation, such as: the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Energy Regulators' Network, the Asia Pacific Dialogue on Clean Energy Governance and Regulation, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Pacific Power Association; and (iii) consider the relevance of international climate and energy law for the Asia-Pacific.