Utility and Balance: Political Economy and International Law in 19thCentury Belgium

This research project revolves around the role played by political economy in the legitimization of public international law in Belgium in the 19th century, as well as the formalization of an epistemic community of economists and jurists. This research ultimately aims to identify the value systems (denominational, philosophical, ideological) that were used by this community. At the beginning of the 19th century, political economy was considered a “cameral science”, which was useful for the State’s administrative management. It was in favour of free-trade and social changes by means of reforms, rather than revolution: these two goals could not be reached without the intervention of the legislator and the internationalization of these issues. As from 1860, the latter was favored by a community that was about to be formalized, namely, the international law jurists. The free-trade ideal was, therefore, maintained, and associated with the guarantee of international peace. This project will look at the condition of emergence and crystallization of this community, as well as its social impact as a Belgian reformist community of jurists and economists. The project contains three steps: 1. Studying the cultural origins of political economy in Belgium since the beginning of the 19th century. 2. Looking at the stakes of the connection between political economy and international law (1820-1870). 3. Identifying the value systems used by this community.