Bibliographie sélective OHADA

Sharing economy companies (sharecoms) have been internationalising rapidly, including entering African markets. Little research has been conducted on the strategies and behaviours of African sharecoms. Questions have been raised as to whether existing theories adequately explain the internationalisation of African firms. Thus, we analyse the internationalisation patterns of six African sharecoms, focusing on time, speed, and scope. The findings indicate that firms apply unique combinations of various internationalisation models. A novel pattern of internationalisation where the firms use “foreign gateway markets” as strategic “launchpads” before rapidly internationalising was also uncovered. Locational advantages, strategic networks, and relative technological advancement characterise the foreign gateway markets. We also propose the concept of “complex regional context” to define the context of emerging regions with many neighbouring countries with the potential for high levels of internationalisation but low levels of international business due to the lack of common enabling frameworks and institutions.

This paper aims to analyzing the influence of tax behavior on financing (financial leverage) behavior of corporate managers. The paper applies the generalized method of moments (GMM) to dynamic panel data. The sample used covers 21 firms, i.e. 11 banks for the period from 2011 to 2020 and 10 DFSs for the period from 2016 to 2021. It turns out that financial leverage behavior is influenced more positively by corporate income tax (CIT), then by dividends (DIVIDEND); and negatively by interest on debt (INTEREST), by cash flow (CASH_FLOW) and by past financial leverage (LEVERAGE(‑1)). This paper is one of the first to extend the literature by identifying the main determinants of financing behavior, notably the positive effect of corporate income tax (CIT).

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International conference proceedings

The surge in online interactions has led to a parallel rise in civil and commercial disputes that transcend geographical boundaries. As traditional dispute resolution mechanisms face challenges adapting to this evolving paradigm, conflicts increasingly migrate to online platforms. Within this proliferating landscape, it is crucial to recognize the scarcity of research devoted to Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) providers and the myriad types of services they currently offer to users worldwide. Despite the ongoing geographical expansion of ODR, the inquiry into how procedural justice principles manifest in these digital dispute resolution systems remains notably under-explored. A growing body of literature underscores that procedural justice is critical for building users’ trust, enhancing the legitimacy of organizations among communities, and fostering compliance with outcomes. The ability of ODR providers to meet users' expectations in terms of procedural justice can significantly shape users' perception of ODR institutions as trustworthy and dependable. This bears paramount implications for the ongoing development of ODR, whose acceptance varies widely across jurisdictions. This doctoral thesis delves into the intricate intersections of procedural justice within the realm of international civil and commercial ODR, examining the nuanced dynamics that emerge in virtual spaces. Ultimately, it seeks to understand how procedural justice principles, rooted in the notion of fairness, manifest and evolve in the context of ODR, exploring the impact of digital interventions on the perceived fairness of dispute resolution processes. Understanding procedural justice in ODR is not merely an academic pursuit; it holds profound implications for legal practitioners, policymakers, and society at large. This research aims to contribute valuable insights that can inform the design of fairer and more effective ODR systems.

This paper examined international arbitration as a tool for resolving investment disputes in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, a critical industry that contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), foreign exchange earnings and government revenues. This sector is marked by high-risk investments and complexity and often faces disputes arising from regulatory changes, fluctuating global prices, environmental concerns and contractual breaches. Arbitration, particularly in cross-border investments, provides a neutral, efficient and flexible mechanism for resolving such disputes. Using a doctrinal research methodology, the study analysed statutes, case law, international treaties, and academic sources. Findings revealed that while arbitration offers benefits such as neutrality and enforceability, there are still some challenges that must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Issues include resistance to enforcement of arbitral awards by Nigerian courts on grounds of national interest, high arbitration costs and biases favouring foreign investors. Nigeria’s legal framework, including the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023 and the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, supports arbitration but lacks procedural clarity, leading to delays and inefficiencies. The paper concluded that legal reforms are essential to strengthen arbitration processes, enhance enforcement mechanisms and align Nigeria’s framework with international standards. Such reforms would foster investment stability and improve Nigeria’s attractiveness as an investment destination by reducing legal uncertainties. The paper recommended legislative and judicial improvements in order to achieve these goals.

This volume brings together an international team of contributors to provide a much-needed examination of climate litigation in Africa. The book outlines how climate litigation in Africa is distinct as well as pinpointing where it connects with the global conversation. Chapters engage with crucial themes such as human rights approaches to climate governance, corporate liability and the role of gender in climate litigation.

Technology is continuously evolving and has changed human interaction. It is consequently changing the ways disputes are solved. International dispute resolution procedures, and international arbitration, more specifically, are considerably influenced by the rapid expansion of innovative technologies. Years after the dot-com boom, Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) emerged and evolved considerably. Due to the digitalization of ODR methods, remote arbitration (or e-arbitration) is expanding. Arbitration is of particular interest due to its formal and binding nature, from a theoretical perspective. E-arbitration, as other ODR methods have attractive features as well as drawbacks, which are addressed in this document.  The purpose of this paper is three-fold: providing an overview of e-arbitration and the different considerations of this method, presenting the e-arbitration models of the European Union (EU), the United States (US), and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and suggesting recommendations to improve international e-commerce arbitration, notably through a revision of the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (UNCITRAL Model Law).

Mergers in the Italian and European legal system. The Italian legal landscape for mergers. Applicable regulations. Stages of the merger process. The first phase: the merger plan. The second phase: the merger resolution. The third phase: the merger deed. The protection of creditors. The invalidity of the merger. The FIAT-Chrysler merger. Evolution of the legal nature of mergers in the Italian legal system: legislative and jurisprudential perspectives. The extinguishing-successory orientation. The evolutionary–modifying orientation. Court of cassation ruling no. 2637 of 2006. Return to the extinguishing-successory orientation: judgement no. 21970/2021. Debate surrounding judgement 21970/2021: criticism and support. Mergers in the American legal system. The American legal landscape for mergers. The evolution of the US corporate law of mergers. Sources of corporate law. The merger process. Economic motives for mergers. Steps of the merger procedure. The merger plan. Merger between parent and subsidiary or between subsidiaries. Articles of merger. Effects of merger. Abandonment of a merger or share exchange. The ExxonMobil merger. Comparative analysis of the Italian and American legal systems. Historical and constitutional influences on Italian and American legal systems. Differences and similarities in the merger process. Comparison of FIAT Chrysler and ExxonMobil mergers.

This thesis focuses on the relationship between contract law and corporate insolvency law as it investigates the idea and protection of executory contracts within restructuring proceedings. However, preserving these agreements frequently necessitates taking legal action against established contract law tenets like the freedom of contract and the duty to perform. The study looks at how difficult it can be to keep debtor and creditor interests in balance, especially when there are disruptions brought on by insolvency. The study suggests ways to improve the efficacy of restructuring proceedings by analysing the EU Directive on restructuring and insolvency, contrasting practices in various jurisdictions, and evaluating the impact on stakeholders. The goal of this study is to protect the rights of all parties involved in corporate restructuring while advancing the creation of legal frameworks that facilitate effective restructuring.

An array of governance initiatives has emerged to address forced labour and labour exploitation in global value chains (GVCs). Drawing on the transnational business governance interactions theoretical framework, as well as Timothy Bartley’s place-conscious transnational governance model, this thesis examines the interaction between two of these hybrid forms of governance: multi-stakeholder initiatives and corporate sustainability laws. I conduct a case study of the cocoa sector, and specifically of the multinational company, Nestlé, using multiple qualitative research methods including legal analysis, key informant interviews, and documentary analysis. My research suggests that the layering of corporate sustainability laws, and particularly the French Duty of Vigilance Law, on top of CSR and MSIs in the cocoa sector, is not addressing the governance gap that permits corporations to evade accountability for human rights abuses in their supply chain. I find that the introduction of corporate sustainability laws may have contributed to a decrease in Nestlé's efforts to address labor violations in certain areas, while in others, it appears to have supported the continuation of existing practices. This raises implications for the continuous efforts in various jurisdictions to introduce these laws as a solution to the shortcomings of private, voluntary rule-making systems. Further research is required to explore how these governance mechanisms are interacting in other sectors, in companies of different sizes, and within various types of MSIs. This will help identify the factors that influence interactions and shed further light on the path forward for policymakers.

Recent empirical evidence suggests that labour markets are not as competitive as previously thought. In that context, mobilizing antitrust policy has been discussed as a possible solution. The proposition sounds counterintuitive, however. If workers are paid below the competitive level, doesn’t this promote consumers’ outcomes by reducing downstream prices? Given that antitrust policy promotes consumer welfare, why would antitrust authorities intervene against such a state of affairs? Besides, why would stepping up on antitrust enforcement improve workers’ outcomes? Their interests have traditionally been protected through their exclusion from the scope of antitrust enforcement, not by the enforcement of antitrust rules to their benefit. This thesis demonstrates that those spontaneous assumptions do not hold. Consumer welfare does not speak against the defence of workers’ interests. First, the focus on consumers is a by product of methods: it does not prevent consideration of other types of market participants. Moreover, consumers benefit from competitive labour markets. The welfare effects of monopsony power simultaneously worsen workers and consumers’ outcomes. As for the promotion of workers’ interests, it can be achieved through both positive and negative enforcement of antitrust. So far, the EU Commission has been less proactive than the American DOJ and FTC on the issue of antitrust enforcement in labour markets ( although the state of affairs is evolving). While this difference may stem from EU workers benefitting from higher levels of social protection than US workers, those higher levels of protection may not negate the usefulness of antitrust ’s intervention. The low levels of antitrust enforcement in EU labour markets may result from legal uncertainty and case law inconsistency more than an absence of harm. Just like the merger control apparatus, Article 101 and 102 TFEU can be used to scrutinize labour markets. While doing so involves some practical complexities, they can be overcome.

It seems like a long time ago that there were only a handful of climate lawsuits. Since the first climate lawsuits were filed in the United States in 1990,² a myriad of litigation has emerged at the national, regional and global levels. According to the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, as of May 2021 the databases on climate litigation around the world contained 1,841 cases that were either in progress or had already been decided.³ This shows the exponential development of the phenomenon through which civil society organizations, public law legal entities and private individuals are

Until now, digitization and sustainability have stood side by side in the discussion of business law. As leading discourses of the present-day business scene, both topics are leading to profound change in companies and are influencing each other in the process - a circumstance that can no longer be ignored by corporate management. The article shows the guiding ideas behind both discussions, as well as their convergences and interactions, and asks about the effects they have on management's duty to act.