Opening the window on Lex Mercatoria:

: from Medieval Times to the Future

Abstract

This thesis examines the application of the Lex Mercatoria (LM) as an applicable law in contemporary commercial practice in order to analyse the practicality and awareness of the global commercial law within arbitration. The crucial questions asked are how and to what extent the LM can be used in everyday legal practice during arbitral proceedings. The LM is acknowledged as a global commercial law and establishes its fundamental features in the global political economy, demonstrating the future direction of the global commercial law. The LM as a trade regulator has an essential role to manifest the differences in origin between global issues and local issues and has prompted a requirement for a legal framework of global issues. In order to assess the real picture of worldwide society, the role and significance of the LM is identified as legal and sociological dimensions. Reflecting that the nature of authority has changed within generations and with the enforcement of commercial norms, the LM is analysed in this thesis firstly within a historical context, mapping the evolution of the LM from medieval times to the present day and is followed with an analysis of trade in the society. To anticipate the future status of the LM is essential in order to locate and specify the structure and the nature of authority in the political economy.

Date of Award	2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	Konstantina Sampani (Supervisor)