Commercial Law Research Network Nigeria (CLRN_N)

CLRN_N的提出是为了影响尼日利亚未来的商法改革，并提供一个可以产生跨学科研究的生态系统。它邀请研究人员以尼日利亚为例，考察全球发展中国家商法改革的有效性。尼日利亚寻求使其法律现代化的原因有很多，包括达到国际标准，以及促进其经济发展。与其他国家类似，这些改革主要是通过移植实现的；由于英格兰和威尔士之间的殖民历史，普通法是移民的主要来源。重要的是要考虑已经进行的改革的有效性，特别是在法律移植的批评者认为，如果没有考虑到接受者的现实情况，这些改革往往是无效的。（Pistor et. al., 2000）移植是法律在国家间传播的一种方法。法律并非只从北半球向南半球扩散。它通常也会在同等水平的国家之间扩散。(孪生,2004)。因此，问题不在于扩散；当地的现实没有得到适当的考虑和解决。因此，重要的是，来自全球南方的国家必须阐明其体制所特有的现实；然后创造性地决定是否和/或如何调整现代制度以适应他们的背景。为了了解尼日利亚的商业法律现实，有必要让精通的研究人员使用从理论到实证的跨学科研究方法来询问尼日利亚的背景。他们必须批判性地审视尼日利亚商业领域的历史、社会经济和政治背景。为了确保正确理解现实情况，并且确保建议足够严格以实现其目的，该网络还将通过圆桌讨论在参与制定和执行尼日利亚商法的研究人员和主要利益相关者之间进行讨论。然后，可以确定商法各方面改革的有效性，并对未来的研究方向和商法政策提出建议。这种协作方法还确保与利益攸关方团体就所提建议进行持续对话。结果将与尼日利亚相关，因为其商业领域的机构将受到严格评估。它们也将在尼日利亚以外的地区发挥作用。它们与法律移植的辩论有关，这是全球感兴趣的，也与那些对普通法发展感兴趣的人有关，因为它们展示了其原则如何适应全球南方国家的背景。最后，该网络还提供了一个论坛，以发展来自全球南方的研究。Trubek（2014）指出，全球南方国家在寻求发展时面临的主要问题之一是其产生的研究质量不足。为了提高来自尼日利亚等全球南方著名国家的研究的严谨性，该网络将组织研讨会，讨论和教授研究方法。该网络提供的论坛将使成熟的研究人员能够讨论合作的可能性，以及与他们的同行一起探讨全球南方现实的足够复杂的方法。然而，该网络强调对早期职业研究人员的培训，其中许多人只接受过描述性、黑字分析方面的培训。这些研究人员将受到跨学科方法的价值和效用的启发；最终目标是确保未来来自全球南方的严谨研究将会扩大

CLRN_N is proposed to influence the future reform of commercial law in Nigeria, as well as to provide an ecosystem through which interdisciplinary research can be generated. It invites researchers to examine the effectiveness of commercial law reform in the global South, using Nigeria as a case study. Nigeria has sought to modernise its laws for many reasons, including meeting international standards, as well as promoting the development of its economy. Similar to its counterparts, the reforms have been achieved largely through transplants; with the common law of England and Wales being the main source of transplants because of the colonial history between both countries. It is important to consider the effectiveness of the reforms that have been made, particularly as critics of legal transplants argue that they tend to be ineffective where they do not address the realities of the recipients. (Pistor et. al., 2000) Transplants are a method through which laws diffuse across nations. Law does not diffuse only from the global north to the south. It generally diffuses across countries that are at par also. (Twinning, 2004). Thus, the problem is not diffusion; it is with the misfit where the local realities have not been duly considered and addressed. It is therefore important that countries from the global south articulate the realities that characterise their systems; thereafter creatively determine whether and/or how to adapt modern institutions to suit their contexts. To understand the commercial law realities of Nigeria, it is necessary that well-versed researchers interrogate the Nigerian context using inter-disciplinary research methods ranging from the theoretical to the empirical. They must critical examine the the historical, socio-economic and political contexts of the Nigerian commercial sphere. To ensure that the realities are appropriately understood and recommendations are rigorous enough to achieve their purpose, the network will also engender discussions between researchers and key stakeholders involved in the enactment and enforcement of the Nigerian commercial law through round-table discussions. Thereafter, a determination can be made about the effectiveness of reforms in each aspect of commercial law and recommendations made on the future direction of research and commercial law policy. This collaborative approach also ensures that there will be sustained dialogues with the stakeholder groups on the recommendations made. The outcomes will be relevant for Nigeria, as institutions in its commercial sphere will be rigorously assessed. They will also hold relevance beyond Nigeria. They are relevant to the debate on legal transplants which is of interest globally, as well as those interested in the development of the common law, as they show how its principles can be adapted to the context of countries from the global south. Finally, the network also provides a forum at which to develop the research emanating from the global south. Trubek (2014) has stated that one of the principal problems the global south faces in the quest for development is the inadequate quality of the research it generates. To improve on the rigour of research generated from a prominent country in the global south such as Nigeria, the network will organise workshops at which research methods are discussed and taught. The forum provided by the network will enable established researchers to discuss the possibility of collaborations, as well as the methods which are sophisticated enough to interrogate the realities of the global south with their peers. The network however places emphasis on the training of early career researchers, many of whom have been trained only on descriptive, black-letter analysis. These researchers will be enlightened on the value and utility of inter-disciplinary methods; the ultimate goal being to ensure that there will be an expansion of rigorous research emanating from the global south in the future