IBT Series Categories: Call for Papers

The International Contracting and the Theory of the Firm initiative combines an in-person scholarly roundtable with a virtual seminar series to advance research and dialogue on cross-border business transactions. The roundtable, scheduled for May 2026 at Washington and Lee University School of Law, will convene a small group of leading scholars to examine how international contracting responds to contemporary global challenges. Participants will explore diverse subject areas—including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, supply agreements, ESG-related contracts, natural resource development, and insurance—and ground their analyses in primary materials to identify broader patterns in contract design. The goal is to uncover how contracts adapt to issues such as supply chain resilience, national security regulation, and geopolitical risk.

Building on this in-person exchange, the International Business Transactions Virtual Seminar Series provides an ongoing forum to refine and expand these conversations. Each roundtable participant will have the opportunity to present their work in an “incubator” format, engaging with both fellow scholars and a wider community of academics, practitioners, and policymakers who regularly attend the monthly seminars. Together, the roundtable and seminar series create a complementary platform for developing scholarship, fostering collaboration, and bridging the gap between theory and practice in international business transactions.

Read more here: CFP International Contracting

London Roundtable on National Security & International Business

On May 19, 2025, Washington and Lee University School of Law’s Frances Lewis Law Center and the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation will co-host the London Roundtable on National Security & International Business at 10 St. James’s Square, London, SW1Y 4LE.

The London Roundtable is the second in a global series designed to foster learning and engagement among academics, practitioners, and policymakers on international business and economic statecraft. Building on the conversations of the DC Roundtable in September 2024, the London event will explore the themes of economic security and human security from a regional and comparative perspective. Each session will follow the established format: an academic lead presentation paired with commentaries from discussants in industry, practice, or government. Participants will engage under the Chatham House Rule to encourage open, candid dialogue.

We invite academic authors to submit abstracts for one or more of the following sessions:

Session on Economic Security

• Public–private partnerships in critical industries, including public investment policies

• AI and autonomous warfare

• Foreign firm participation in critical industries and infrastructure

• Trade policy and economic resiliency

• Supply chain strategic planning (onshoring, nearshoring, friendshoring)

• Corporate governance of geopolitical risks

• Mergers & acquisitions and national security review

Session on Human Security

• Business and economic development, both domestic and international

• Migrant and refugee policies and business responses

• Links between migration, human rights, and economic development

• Human rights and governance of technology

• Sustainable business practices, including human rights and environmental protection

• Corporate responses to humanitarian crises

The London Roundtable offers an opportunity to deepen scholarly and practical engagement with the pressing security and governance issues shaping international business today.

Read more here: London Roundtable Call for Papers 10.14.24

DC Roundtable on International Business and National Security

On September 27, 2024, Washington and Lee University School of Law’s Frances Lewis Law Center, Georgetown Law’s Center on National Security, and Steptoe LLP will co-host a roundtable at Steptoe’s Washington, DC office on National Security & International Business.

The roundtable is designed to foster dialogue among academics, legal practitioners, industry leaders, and policymakers on how national security concerns increasingly shape international commerce. The program will consist of four sessions, each featuring an academic presentation with commentary from experts in practice, industry, or government.

We invite contributions from scholars in law, management, economics, political science, national security, supply chain management, industrial organization, and related disciplines. Topics for discussion will include:

• Supply chain regulation and compliance (including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act)

• Corporate governance and geopolitical risk

• Cross-border mergers and acquisitions and national security review (including CFIUS)

• Contingency planning and geopolitical risk

• Logistics and geopolitical risk

• Export controls

• Supply chain resiliency

• Economic sanctions

• Climate change and supply chain management

By bringing together diverse perspectives, the DC Roundtable aims to illuminate how international business is being reshaped by security imperatives, regulatory pressures, and global geopolitical shifts.

Read more here: DC Roundtable FINAL CFP