Project description
International law in a multipolar world
As global power becomes increasingly dispersed, competing states and coalitions are advancing different visions of international order, reshaping global institutions and rules. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MultiOrder project develops a new analytical framework, the MultiOrdering Matrix, to examine how states and coalitions embed their objectives in legal, financial, technical and material infrastructures. It will test this framework through comparative studies of rival initiatives in economic governance (OECD and BRICS) and space governance (the Artemis Accords and the International Lunar Research Station), exploring how these projects build legitimacy, interact and compete. Overall, MultiOrder will help policymakers anticipate tensions, support inclusive multilateralism and better understand the changing role of international law in a multipolar world.
Objective
The unipolar era has given way to a multipolar landscape where established institutions and emerging coalitions advance rival visions of global order. 'International Law and Ordering Infrastructures in a Multipolar World' (MultiOrder) investigates how international law is reshaped through the coexistence and contestation of competing 'ordering projects'—state-led initiatives that scale political visions by embedding them in legal, financial, technical, and material infrastructures. The project advances three three objectives. First, it develops the MultiOrdering Matrix, a conceptual framework and coding manual identifying the structural dimensions of ordering projects, from political vision to infrastructural depth, and boundary strategies. Second, it tests and refines this matrix through two comparative dyads: OECD vs. BRICS in economic governance, and Artemis Accords vs. International Lunar Research Station in space governance. These strategically significant and structurally analogous cases serve as laboratories for analyzing how rival projects construct legal-infrastructural architectures, claim legitimacy, and interact through emulation, hybridization, or contestation. Third, it synthesizes findings to theorize international law as a dynamic field shaped by the interplay of competing infrastructures, offering a new account of how doctrines of sovereignty, hierarchy, and universality are reconfigured. The methodology combines doctrinal, institutional, and discourse analysis with infrastructural mapping, elite interviews, and comparative coding. MultiOrder is hosted at the University of Edinburgh and New York University and includes secondments in India (RIS) and China (Fudan). The project advances Horizon Europe’s scientific agenda by reconceptualisating international law through a structural account of multi-ordering. It supports Horizon’s societal goals by providing EU policymakers with open tools to anticipate clashes and foster inclusive multilateralism.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.