Law and Economy

Safeguarding the Rights of Women in Armed Conflicts: An Appraisal of the Armed Conflict in the Anglophone Cameroon

2026-02-11T09:53:57+00:00

Armed conﬂicts disproportionately affect women, exposing them to heightened risks of sexual and gender-based violence, displacement, economic marginalization, and exclusion from peace processes. This study examines the effectiveness of safeguarding the rights of women in the context of the Anglophone Cameroon armed conﬂict. Adopting a doctrinal and qualitative research methodology, the study analyses relevant international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and regional legal frameworks alongside documented practices in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. The findings reveal a significant gap between Cameroon’s formal legal obligations and their practical implementation, resulting in persistent violations of women’s rights by both state and non-state actors. The study further finds that weak accountability mechanisms, institutional fragmentation, limited humanitarian access, and the marginalization of women from peace and security initiatives have undermined effective protection. The paper concludes that safeguarding women’s rights in the Anglophone conﬂict remains largely ineffective and argues that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without placing women’s protection and participation at the center of conﬂict response and peace-building efforts. The study contributes to existing scholarship by providing a context-specific legal appraisal of women’s rights protection in a protracted non-international armed conﬂict and offers policy-oriented recommendations aimed at bridging the gap between law and practice.

The Relationship Between Research Permits and Patent Applications in Kenya over Ten Years (2014-2023)

2026-02-25T09:52:05+00:00

This study sought to establish the relationship between research permits granted and the number of patents registered over 10 years in Kenya from 2014 to 2023. Over that period, Kenya ranked at number ten in Africa in terms of patents granted and very low in world rankings compared to South Africa, which ranked number 17 in the world. Data on research permits granted in Kenya, as well as patents registered was obtained from various sources. For purposes of comparing permits obtained and patents registered, only research permits granted in the sciences were considered. Results showed an increasing trend in the number of research permits obtained as well as in patents registered. Over the ten years, the relationship between research permits obtained and patents registered was represented by the equation Y= 0.0062X + 3.9473. The constant was interpreted as a ‘carry over’ effect due to delays in processing patents. All in all, very few patents are registered in Kenya as compared to the number of research permits granted.

Navigating Crime and Punishment in Mbumland (1779-1996): An Analysis of Indigenous, Colonial, and Post-Colonial Justice Systems

2026-02-25T09:58:25+00:00

Justice is a central pillar of social order, and its administration reﬂects the historical, cultural, and institutional realities of a society. This study examines crimes and punishment in Mbumland between 1779 and 1996 through a historical analysis of indigenous, colonial, and post-colonial justice systems. Employing a qualitative historical methodology grounded in legal pluralism, the research draws on archival materials, doctrinal analysis, and relevant secondary literature to trace the evolution of justice administration across these three interconnected periods. The findings reveal that pre-colonial justice in Mbumland was largely community-centered and reconciliation-oriented, prioritizing restitution and social cohesion in addressing crimes and punishment; the colonial era introduced codified laws and formal courts that reshaped indigenous justice systems; and the post-colonial period inherited and reconfigured this dual structure, resulting in a plural justice framework marked by jurisdictional overlaps and institutional tensions. The study argues that the effectiveness of crimes and punishment in Mbumland has historically depended less on punitive severity and more on legitimacy, accessibility, and structural coherence. By offering a localized and periodized examination of justice systems in Mbumland, this research contributes to broader historical perspectives on the interaction between indigenous, colonial, and post-colonial legal orders and their enduring implications for justice administration.

Italy’s Artificial Intelligence Act and Global AI Governance: The EU Model’s Practice and Prospects

2026-02-25T10:01:14+00:00

The Italian Artificial Intelligence Act, enacted on September 17, 2025, represents the first comprehensive national implementation of the European Union’s AI Act. This study examines the Italian legislation through the theoretical lens of multi-level governance, analyzing its dual function as both a “bridging legislation” that translates EU framework into domestic practice and a site of significant regulatory innovation. Through detailed textual analysis and case studies, particularly in healthcare AI, this research investigates how Italy has navigated the complex interplay between supranational standardization and national specificity. The findings reveal that Italy has not merely passively transposed the EU AI Act but has actively engaged in “normative localization,” refining the risk-based approach with distinctive national characteristics—such as stringent safeguards for cultural heritage and tailored provisions for small and medium enterprises. The study further explores Italy’s creation of a coordinated regulatory architecture involving multiple existing authorities and its development of a multi-layered enforcement regime that innovatively combines administrative, civil, and criminal liabilities. The Italian approach demonstrates a sophisticated balancing of legal certainty through clear prohibitions and regulatory flexibility through adaptive tools like regulatory sandboxes. This analysis contributes to theoretical understanding of implementation dynamics in multi-level governance systems and offers practical insights for other jurisdictions developing AI governance frameworks. The Italian experience suggests that effective AI governance requires both principled foundation and contextual adaptation, providing valuable lessons for global AI governance amid ongoing technological evolution and regulatory competition.