Dr Oisin Suttle

    Law

    Associate Professor

    New House
    206
    (01) 4747772

    Biography

    Dr Oisin Suttle is an Associate Professor of Law.

    Oisin’s research interests are primarily in legal and political theory, and international economic law. His work addresses fundamental political and moral questions in international economic governance, including how we should understand the demands of justice and equality in the international economy, what grounds the legitimate authority of international laws and courts, and what role moral concerns should play in the interpretation of international treaties. His 2017 book, Distributive Justice and World Trade Law: A Political Theory of International Economic Law (2017, Cambridge), was awarded the prestigious Peter Birks Prize for Oustanding Legal Scholarship by the Society of Legal Scholars. Other work has been published in leading international journals in both law and philosophy, including the European Journal of International Law, the Modern Law Review, International & Comparative Law Quarterly, Politics Philosophy & Economics, and the Journal of Political Philosophy.
     
    Before joining Maynooth University in 2019, Oisin taught at Queen’s University Belfast (2017-19), the University of Sheffield (2014-17) and University College London (2012-14). He holds degrees in law (University College Dublin) and international relations (University of Oxford), and a Ph.D. on the philosophy of international economic law (University College London). He previously practiced commercial law with a leading Dublin law firm, and is qualified as a solicitor both in Ireland and in England and Wales.

    Research Interests

    International Economic Law
    Legal and Political Theory
    Public International Law

    My current research includes projects examining:
    - the moral foundations of competition law and claims of competitive fairness in domestic and international law;
    - the potential grounds of legitimate authority of investment law and investment arbitration, and their implications for the scope of investment law and harmonisation efforts;
    - the role that values should and/or must play in treaty interpretation, and their implications for moral theorising of substantive areas of international law.

    Book

    Year Publication
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) Distributive Justice and World Trade Law: A Political Theory of International Trade Regulation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2025 Scherz, A and Suttle, O (2025) 'Legitimate international authority and institutional diversity'. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (CRISPP), (Early View) . https://doi.org/10.1080/13698230.2025.2499356
    2023 Suttle, O. (2023) 'Evaluating International Agreements: The Voluntarist Reply and Its Limits'. Journal of Political Philosophy, . [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2022 Suttle O. (2022) 'The puzzle of competitive fairness'. Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 21 (2):190-227. [DOI]
    2022 Suttle, O (2022) 'On Trade Justice, Power and Institutions - Some Questions for Risse and Wollner'. Moral Philosophy And Politics, 9 (1):147-171. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2022 Suttle, O (2022) 'Justice and Authority in Investment Protection'. Law and Development Review, 15 (2):257-282. [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2019 Suttle, Oisin (2019) 'Rules and Values in International Adjudication: The Case of the WTO Appellate Body'. International and Comparative Law Quarterly, 68 (2). [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2017 Suttle, Oisin (2017) 'What Sorts of Things are Public Morals? A Liberal Cosmopolitan Approach to Article XX GATT'. 80 (4):569-599. [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2016 Suttle, Oisin (2016) 'Law as Deliberative Discourse: The Politics of International Legal Argument - Social Theory with Historical Illustrations'. Journal of International Law and International Relations, 12 (1):151-203. [Link] [Full-Text]
    2016 Suttle, Oisin (2016) 'Debt, Default, and Two Liberal Theories of Justice'. 17 (5). [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2014 Suttle, Oisin (2014) 'Equality in Global Commerce: Towards a Political Theory of International Economic Law'. European Journal of International Law, 25 (4):1043-1070. [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2014 Oisin Suttle (2014) 'Book Review Essay: Poverty and Justice: Competing Lenses on International Economic Law'. 15 (5-6):1071-1086. [Link] [Full-Text]

    Book Chapter

    Year Publication
    2023 Suttle, O, Lynch-Shally, K, Hunt, E. (2023) 'Ireland' In: Elgar Encyclopedia of International Economic Law. Cheltenham : Edward Elgar.
    2021 Suttle, Oisin (2021) 'The Doctrinal Approach of Common Concern' In: The Prospects of Common Concern of Humankind in International Law. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press.
    2020 Suttle, Oisin (2020) 'Reasons, Institutions, Authorities: Three Models of Exceptions in World Trade Law' In: Exceptions and Defences in International Law. Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press.
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) 'Debt, Default, and Two Liberal Theories of Justice' In: Democracy and Financial Order: Legal Perspectives. : Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2023 Oisin Suttle and Antoinette Scherz (2023) International interdisciplinary workshop on law and philosophy of international institutions Legitimate International Authority and Institutional Diversity Maynooth University, .
    2022 Oisin Suttle (2022) International Legal Theory Workshop The Voluntarist Objection and its Limits Online, .
    2022 Oisin Suttle (2022) School of Law and Criminology Research Seminar The Challenge of Grading (In)Consistency: Analysis and Responses Maynooth University, .
    2022 Oisin Suttle (2022) Workshop on the Philosophy of International Law Justice, Authority and Distribution in International Law Norwegian Institute, Rome, .
    2022 Oisin Suttle (2022) Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Meeting Building Community in the Law School Queen's University Belfast, .
    2021 Oisin Suttle (2021) Online Public Workshop with Six International Academic Presenters CETA, Investment Courts and the Irish Constitution - International, European and Constitutional Law Maynooth University, .
    2021 Oisin Suttle (2021) International Law and Political Morality: 'Anti-positivism' and the Global Legal Order Doing Good vs Not Doing Bad: Consent, Baselines and Duties in Bilateral Trade Agreements Leeds Law School, .
    2020 Suttle, Oisin (2020) Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference Two Positivisms and Authority in International Adjudication Exeter / Onlin, .
    2020 Suttle, Oisin (2020) EUTIP Workshop on the EU as a Good Global Actor Doing Good vs Not Doing Bad: Duties and Baselines in Bilateral Trade Agreements City University London / Online, .
    2020 Suttle, Oisin (2020) Dublin Political Theory Workshop The Puzzle of Competitive Fairness University College Dubline, .
    2019 Suttle, Oisin (2019) Max Weber Occasional Lecture Global Justice and International Trade – From Philosophy to Law European University Institute, Florence, .
    2019 Suttle, Oisin (2019) Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference Authority and Interpretation in Investment Protection: Reasons, Rationality and Social Justice UCLan Preson, .
    2019 Suttle, Oisin (2019) iCourts Conference ‘The Power of International Courts’ Authority and Interpretation in Investment Protection: Reasons, Rationality and Social Justice University of Copenhagen, .
    2019 Suttle, Oisin (2019) European Consortium for Political Research Joint Sessions, Workshop on ‘Sovereignty, Justice and International Law The Puzzle of Competitive Fairness and the Justification of (Non-Sovereign) Power UCL Mons, .
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) Pluricourts Workshop on Reforms of International Investment Arbitration: Philosophical Perspectives What a Difference a Court Makes: Authority and Interpretation in International Investment Adjudication University of Oslo, .
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) ICON-S Annual Conference ‘Identity, Security, Democracy: Challenges for Public Law’ Thick and thin moralities and legitimacy in international adjudication – the case of the WTO Appellate Body University of Hong Kong, .
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) Towards a Principle of Common Concern in Global Law Income and Wealth Distribution as a Common Concern: A Response World Trade Institute, Berne, .
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) PluriCourts Workshop Political and Legal Theory of International Courts and Tribunals Thick and thin moralities and legitimacy in international adjudication – the case of the WTO Appellate Body University of Oslo, .
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) Symposium on Distributive Justice and World Trade Law: A Political Theory of International Trade Regulation' Distributive Justice and World Trade Law University of Edinburgh, .
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) Book Launch Seminar on 'Distributive Justice and World Trade Law: A Political Theory of International Trade Regulation' Distributive Justice and World Trade Law University College London, .
    2017 Oisin Suttle and Dimitrios Tsarapatsanis (2017) Law Rationality and the Market Annual Meeting of the International Association of Legal and SociAnnual Meeting of the International Association of Legal and Social Philosophy (IVR) UK Branchal Philosophy (IVR) UK Branch University of Sheffield, .
    2017 Suttle, Oisin (2017) University College Dublin / iCourts University of Copenhagen workshop on ‘Legal Authority Beyond the State’ The Authority Claims of International Institutions and International Courts: A Response Dublin, .
    2017 Suttle, Oisin (2017) Georgetown Institute of International Economic Law / Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Annual WTO Conference Revisiting the Foundations of International Economic Law: A research agenda for post-Trump International Economic Law Scholarship Geneva, .
    2017 Suttle, Oisin (2017) International Association of Legal and Social Philosophy (IVR) UK Branch Annual Conference On the normative content of unfair trade University of Sheffield, .
    2016 Suttle, Oisin (2016) American Society of International Law International Economic Law Interest Group Biennial Meeting Formalists by Default: A Constructivist Solution to Antidumping’s Interpretive (and Legitimacy) Problems Washington DC, .
    2016 Suttle, Oisin (2016) International Association of Legal and Social Philosophy (IVR) UK Branch Annual Conference The Puzzle of Competitive Fairness Leeds, .
    2015 Suttle, Oisin (2015) Junior Faculty Forum for International Law, European University Institute What sorts of things are Public Morals? A Liberal Cosmopolitan Account of Article XX GATT Florence, .
    2015 Suttle, Oisin (2015) Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Workshop on Democracy and Financial Orders International Debt, Sovereign Default and Two Liberal Theories of Justice Frankfurt, .
    2014 Suttle, Oisin (2014) University College Dublin Workshop on WTO Law Fair Trade, Trade Remedies and the World Trade Organization Dublin, .
    2014 Suttle, Oisin (2014) British Institute of International and Comparative Law Annual Conference on WTO Law The Public Morals Exception: A Liberal Cosmopolitan Perspective London, .
    2013 Suttle, Oisin (2013) Brave New World, University of Manchester Centre for Political Theory Three Faces of Coercion: Towards a Mixed Theory of Equality in Global Commerce Manchester, .
    2012 Suttle, Oisin (2012) American Society of International Law International Economic Law Interest Group Biennial Meeting Cooperation and Coercion – Towards a Political Theory of International Economic Law Washington DC, .
    2012 Suttle, Oisin (2012) Northeastern University Workshop in Applied Philosophy ‘Global Justice and Ethics of Exclusion’ Cooperation and Coercion: Justice, Exclusion and Equality in Global Commerce Boston, .
    2008 Suttle, Oisin (2008) Oxford University / German Marshall Fund Workshop on EPAs and Development Constraints on Collective Outcomes in EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations Oxford, .

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2021 Suttle, O (2021) CETA and the Investor Court System: Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs. Oireachtas, . [Full-Text]

    Newspaper Articles

    Year Publication
    2021 Oisin Suttle (2021) Why the EU and Canada's CETA deal is not just another treaty. [Newspaper Articles] [Link]
    2021 Suttle, Oisin (2021) Comment: CETA offers us the hand-rolled cigarette of international investment law. [Newspaper Articles] [Link]
    2018 Suttle, Oisin (2018) Trade Wars: What's the Meaning of Unfair Trade. [Newspaper Articles] [Link]

    Working Paper

    Year Publication
    2009 Suttle, Oisin (2009) Regulating Illegal Material on the Internet: The European Legislative Landscape. Dublin: [Working Paper]

    Podcast

    Year Publication
    2014 Suttle, Oisin (2014) Equality in Global Commerce: Towards a Political Theory of International Economic Law. [Podcast] [Link]

    Other Journal

    Year Publication
    2021 Oisin Suttle & John Reynolds (2021) 'Domestic law makers far better placed than CETA’s investment courts to judge policy choices' Business Post, February 2021, . [Link]
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2025) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Honors and Awards

    Date Title Awarding Body
    01/09/2019 Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship Society of Legal Scholars