How to Get Away with Mandates: International Legislative Bodies and Eroding State Power

Abstract

This article critiques the growing influence of international organizations and economic unions in shaping domestic legislation through supranational mandates. It explores how instruments like the IMF’s conditionalities, the OECD’s global tax framework, and the EU’s extraterritorial regulations compromise state sovereignty. Case studies from Kenya, Qatar, and the UAE illustrate how international obligations often reflect asymmetric power structures, leading to compliance under duress rather than genuine cooperation. The article argues for a restoration of subsidiarity and contextual equity to prevent the erosion of national legislative autonomy.