Dr Federica Violi looks back at her research stay at Columbia Law School

“I was hosted by the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint institute of the Law School and The Earth Institute of Columbia University. The CCSI is one of the most important and active research centre on investment and sustainability, very much at the forefront of research and advisory work for all involved stakeholders, including governments and communities. The Center was a perfect match for my research. In New York, I focused, amongst others, on developing a new approach for State contracts regulating investment operations in natural resources; a topic that is particularly significant also for a manuscript I am currently working on. The possibility of constant interaction with the researchers of CCSI, experts in the field, has greatly helped me articulate my perspective and advance my research.

The remarkable aspect of the vibrant New York academic scene is that it is undoubtedly vast and diverse. This gave me the opportunity to meet some of the most brilliant scholars in my area, from both Law and other disciplines, from whom I received insightful and useful feedback. Thus, besides presenting at the research colloquium of the CCSI and the Visiting Scholar Forum of Columbia Law School, I had the chance of arranging a series of meetings to discuss my research with experts from other NY based schools, including the director of the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law & Justice at New York University (NYU).

The period of my research stay – January-April – could have not been more timely, in that I could complement my activity with a stimulating experience at the UN Headquarters. There, I joined the delegation of a Dutch think tank at the 37th session of UNCITRAL Working Group III, tasked with the mandate to work on the possible reform of investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS). The one-week session was an open window into the political and diplomatic process of one of the hottest reform discussions currently on the table in the international arena; something I am currently monitoring and studying together with other colleagues of our Department. As a visiting scholar at CCSI, I have also contributed to a project on amici curiae in ISDS, which culminated in a side event for UNCITRAL Working Group III, attended by representatives of the EU Commission and other governments, and scholars. The experience at UNCITRAL has definitely granted me access to a stimulating environment and an interesting network I am still actively working and cooperating with, offering my academic input.

In order to make the most out of this experience, I also decided to audit some classes of both the Law School and the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia. My purpose was really to gain insight into the US teaching methods, and potentially adapt or implement some of the more engaging tools into my own teaching activity here at Erasmus.  

All in all, my research stay in New York has turned out to be exceptionally enriching, both in terms of doctrinal research and observation of dynamics and processes “on the ground”. I highly appreciated the possibility of having such an experience, which is already positively “spilling out” into my work here at Erasmus School of Law.”