Legal Pluralism as the “Common Sense” of Transnational Capitalism

<p>This article analyzes the relationships between law, power, and contestation in the global political economy. Drawing upon critical theories of political economy, the analysis advances a radical critique of dominant understandings of the distinction between international and transnational law. It argues that transnational law operates dialectically as the &ldquo;common sense&rdquo; of contemporary global capitalism to subordinate national politico-legal orders and societies to the discipline of hard, enforceable corporate trade and investor rights, whilst limiting corporate social responsibilities to soft, voluntary and unenforceable standards. However, the study also suggests that these dialectical tensions are not hegemonic in nature or operation, but in fact give rise to openings for contestation and re-imagining capitalist legality as &ldquo;good sense&rdquo; through a praxis conception of transnational law.</p> <hr /><p>En este art&iacute;culo se analiza la relaci&oacute;n entre el derecho, el poder y la impugnaci&oacute;n de la econom&iacute;a pol&iacute;tica global. Bas&aacute;ndose en las teor&iacute;as cr&iacute;ticas de la econom&iacute;a pol&iacute;tica, el an&aacute;lisis avanza una cr&iacute;tica radical de la comprensi&oacute;n dominante de la distinci&oacute;n entre el derecho internacional y transnacional. En este trabajo se sostiene que el derecho transnacional opera dial&eacute;cticamente como el "sentido com&uacute;n" del capitalismo global contempor&aacute;neo para subordinar las &oacute;rdenes y sociedades pol&iacute;tico-jur&iacute;dicos nacionales a la disciplina de los derechos del duro, exigible comercio libre y corporativo y a los derechos de los inversores, a la vez que limita la responsabilidad social corporativa a suaves, voluntarias e inaplicables normas. Sin embargo, el estudio tambi&eacute;n sugiere que estas tensiones dial&eacute;cticas no son hegem&oacute;nicas en la naturaleza o el funcionamiento, sino que de hecho dan lugar a impugnar y re-imaginar la legalidad capitalista como "sentido com&uacute;n" a trav&eacute;s de una concepci&oacute;n de la praxis del derecho transnacional.