Asian Law Institute (ASLI)

Asian Law Institute (ASLI)
Name	Asian Law Institute
Formation	2009
Founder	National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
Type	Research institute
Location	Singapore
Leader title	Director
Affiliations	National University of Singapore

Asian Law Institute (ASLI) The Asian Law Institute (ASLI) is a regional research center headquartered in Singapore that focuses on comparative and transnational legal studies across Asia. Founded with ties to the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, ASLI engages with universities, courts, and policy bodies to produce comparative analyses of statutory regimes, judicial practice, and treaty implementation across Asian jurisdictions. It convenes scholars from institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Peking University Law School and regional partners like University of Tokyo Faculty of Law, Seoul National University School of Law, Tsinghua University Law School, University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, and Delhi University Faculty of Law.

History

ASLI was established in 2009 with foundational support from the National University of Singapore and participating law faculties including Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia, Chiang Mai University Faculty of Law, Thammasat University Faculty of Law, and Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University. Early collaborations involved comparative projects referencing landmark instruments such as the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the World Trade Organization agreements, and regional frameworks like the ASEAN Charter and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. ASLI organized conferences featuring jurists from the Supreme Court of Singapore, the Supreme Court of India, the Constitutional Court of Korea, the Supreme Court of Japan, and the High Court of Hong Kong. Its formative research drew on methodologies developed at centers like the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, European University Institute, and Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

Mission and Objectives

ASLI aims to deepen understanding of legal pluralism across Asia by producing comparative research relevant to adjudication, legislation, and treaty practice. Its objectives emphasize rigorous scholarship, policy engagement, and capacity building in partnership with entities such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies like ASEAN and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. ASLI seeks to inform decision-makers in institutions like the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, national ministries including the Ministry of Law (Singapore), the Indian Ministry of Law and Justice, and supranational tribunals such as the European Court of Human Rights by providing evidence-based comparative studies.

Organization and Governance

ASLI's governance structure involves a board drawn from law schools and judiciaries across Asia, including representatives from National Taiwan University College of Law, Pohang University School of Law, University of the Philippines College of Law, Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, and Bogor Agricultural University Faculty of Law. Advisory members have included scholars affiliated with Columbia Law School, NYU School of Law, and judges previously on panels like the International Criminal Court. Its administrative headquarters cooperates with university offices such as the NUS Office of Research, the NUS Legal Office, and academic units like the NUS Centre for Banking and Finance and NUS Asian Studies Programme.

Research and Publications

ASLI publishes monographs, working papers, and edited volumes addressing topics from commercial arbitration to constitutional adjudication. Publications have compared corporate governance regimes in reports drawing on case law from the Companies Act (Singapore), the Companies Act 2013 (India), and jurisprudence from the Singapore International Commercial Court, the Delhi High Court, and the Tokyo District Court. The institute issues comparative studies on intellectual property referencing the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, maritime law analyses touching on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and regulatory research related to banking instruments overseen by central banks such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Bank of Thailand. ASLI's journals and series cite researchers from Stanford Law School, Chicago Law School, Melbourne Law School, Monash University Faculty of Law, and University of Sydney Law School.

Programs and Activities

ASLI runs fellowship programs, doctoral exchanges, and summer institutes in collaboration with faculties like Yonsei University School of Law, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Zhejiang University Guanghua Law School, and Fudan University Law School. It hosts symposia on arbitration with panels including members from International Chamber of Commerce, London Court of International Arbitration, and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. Training workshops target judges and practitioners from courts such as the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Supreme Court of the Philippines, and Pakistan Supreme Court and include modules referencing landmark decisions like A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras and Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala in comparative constitutional contexts.

Partnerships and Collaborations

ASLI partners with global institutions including the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, International Labour Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and regional universities such as Universiti Brunei Darussalam, University of Yangon, Mongolian State University of Education Faculty of Law, and Vietnam National University School of Law. Collaborative projects have included capacity-building funded by the European Union and joint research initiatives with think tanks like the Asia Research Institute and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Impact and Criticism

ASLI's research has influenced legislative reform proposals, judicial citations in appellate decisions, and curricular developments at law faculties across Asia. Critics have questioned its funding links and argued for greater transparency comparing ASLI to institutions like the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Brookings Institution; others have critiqued methodological choices with reference to debates prominent at the American Law and Economics Association and the Society of Legal Scholars. Supporters note its role in fostering cross-jurisdictional dialogue among stakeholders from the Judicial Commission of Indonesia, the Attorney-General's Chambers (Singapore), and academic networks spanning Cornell Law School to Peking University.

Category:Legal research institutes