Panelists, Arbitrators, Judges: A Response to Joost Pauwelyn

I must state from the outset that I am not convinced that an analysis like the one conducted by Joost Pauwelyn, though valuable from a statistical and quantitative point of view, is really apt to explain the different functioning of legal institutions, their efficiency in term of results achieved in relation to objectives, the satisfaction of the various group of users and the reasons for their being subjected to criticism. The different architecture of the trade and investment systems reflects different constituencies, objectives and needs. Praise and criticism come from different groups of users and nonusers, and they change over time due to changing perceptions, objectives, and interests.