James Harrison

Professor

Co-Director of the UG Supervised Projects
Director of Research
Co-Director of CHRP

International Economic Law; International Trade and Investment Law; Human Rights Law; Labour Law; Environmental Law

School of Law
S1.33, Social Sciences Building
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

024 765 23170

Scholarship

James researches sustainability issues in the transnational regulation of goods and services. He has researched sustainability issues in relation to international public law instruments (e.g. labour and environmental issues and international trade agreements) private law instruments (e.g. grievance mechanisms in multi-stakeholder initiatives) and national regulatory initiatives (e.g. due diligence legislation). His work includes long-term empirical projects. Alongside academic books and articles, he often produces policy reports/briefs. He works with a variety of stakeholders on ideas for policy reform.

Bio

James Harrison is a Professor in the School of Law at the University of Warwick. He is Co-Director of the Centre for Human Rights in Practice. He is also one of the editors of Lacuna Magazine (www.lacuna.org.uk). He is an advisor to the UK Government on trade and sustainability issues. He has previously worked as a practicing solicitor and researcher for a range of civil society organisations. He has also worked as a consultant for a number of international organisations including the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Article 19, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation and the Scottish Human Rights Commission. In 2011 he was awarded the Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (Butterworth Award)

Publications Teaching

UG Modules

PGT Modules

LA932-20 Legal Aspects of International Trade & The World Trade Organisation

Projects

Title	Funder	Award start	Award end
Born in Scotland Data Trust	Open collective Foundation	01 Sep 2023	31 Aug 2024
Understanding local legal needs and supporting early intervention through public legal education	Nuffield Foundation	17 Jan 2022	15 May 2024
Reconceptualising international trade law: In search of a bounded, embedded and re-connected regime	British Academy	01 Sep 2021	31 Aug 2022
The Writing Wrongs Schools' Project	Sigrid Rausing Trust (SRT)	01 Jul 2017	30 Jun 2018
Working Beyond the Border: European Union Trade Agreements and International Labour Standards ( Lead Queen Mary)	ESRC	01 Jul 2015	22 Dec 2017

Impact

Policy

James has acted as advisor to/researcher for a wide range of international and national bodies including Amnesty International, Canadian Council for International Cooperation, Centre for Labour and Social Studies (UK), Council of Europe, Department of International Trade (Canada, UK and Switzerland), European Parliament, The Trade Justice Movement, TUC (UK), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Scottish Human Rights Commission and UK Parliament.

He is particularly active on trade and environment issues (see e.g. on Academic Statement on the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement which he led) and trade and labour issues (see policy brief on workers rights in EU trade agreements).

Evaluating Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment in Scotland

The Centre for Human Rights in Practice was commissioned by the Scottish Human Rights Commission to undertake a study which critically evaluated both equality and human rights impact assessment across the full range of policy areas where studies have been undertaken. Human Rights Impact Assessment: Review of Practice & Guidance for Future Assessments (2010), written by James Harrison and Mary-Ann Stephenson, led to the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People reforming its methodology for conducting EHRIAs. Harrison has provided research evidence to the Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, the Scottish Council Equalities Network, the NHS/SG Health Directorate, Audit Scotland, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service. He has also drafted Guiding Principles based on his research for conducting future EHRIAs. He is currently acting as advisor to a project where the new approach advocated by his research will be piloted in two local authorities in Scotland (Fife and Dumfriesshire) over the next 18 months. Leicestershire County Council have also utilised the SHRC research as the basis for reforming their own EHRIA process.

Guiding Equality and Human Rights Policy for National and International Organisations

James Harrison has provided expert advice and guidance a wide range of national and international organisations. These include the UN Officer of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Government (Department for Foreign Affairs and International Trade), Canadian Coalition for International Co-operation, and the Alternative Trade Mandate. He has also been a key academic advisor to a number of organisations in relation to his work on equality and human rights impact assessment including Bristol Fawcett Society, Coventry Ethnic Minority Action Partnership, Coventry City Council, Coventry Trades Council, Coventry Women’s Voices, Disabled People Against the Cuts, East London Fawcett, Fife Council, GMB Equality Network, Illegal, International Institute for Labour Studies, Leicestershire County Council, Misereor, NHS Scotland, Public and Commercial Services Union, Parliamentary Labour Party Women’s Committee, Public Law Solicitors, UN Quakers Office, Renfrewshire Council, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, SixtyEightyThirty, the Spartacus Network and Trade Unions Congress.

International Organisations

Making Human Rights Reporting Legally-Binding in International Trade Agreements

James Harrison’s research was integral to the incorporation of the first ever legally-binding human rights reporting process in an international trade agreement. Harrison was commissioned by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation to apply his research to the Canada-Colombia context and his resulting paper, Conducting A Human Rights Impact Assessment Of The Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Key Issues, was a major influence on the policy debate, both in parliament and in civil society campaigns. He presented it to key parliamentarians and civil society actors (via webcast seminars), gave evidence to the subsequent Parliamentary enquiry into the Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) (see http://www.parl.gc.ca), and was part of a small expert advisory group advising the Canadian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade on the appropriate methodology for the Canada-Colombia FTA reporting process. The agreement concerning annual reports on human rights and free trade between Canada and Colombia was signed in May 2010 and the free trade agreement was implemented in 2011. Harrison has since given evidence to Parliamentary hearings in relation to the first year of the reporting process.

Harrison’s work has also informed the development of policy on Human Rights Impact Assessments within the United Nations. In June 2010 the UN Special Rapporteur on Food, Professor Olivier De Schutter, convened a meeting of experts in Geneva to advance methodologies and thinking for undertaking HRIAs for trade and investment agreements. Harrison was commissioned to produce the main background paper for the meeting, applying his research to the UN context. He subsequently formed part of a small expert group responsible for assisting the UN Special Rapporteur in drafting the UN Guiding Principles of Human Rights Impact Assessments of Trade and Investment Agreements. These principles are now the key reference document for States that are undertaking HRIAs.

Research Supervision Social Media