How to Study Global Lawmaking: Lessons from Intellectual Property Rights and International Health Emergencies

International agreements on Intellectual Property (IP) have proven to be a
good example to study global lawmaking. Beginning by looking at the 1990s
Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and into the
negotiation and implementation of regional and national trade agreements,
this article reflects on the intricate relationship between international IP
agreements and public health. The comprehensive analysis of these international rules and their effect provides valuable insights into the dynamic
interplay between domestic and international factors in shaping health policies. Building upon the IP case, we categorize existing scholarship on global
lawmaking into three methodological approaches: (a) methodological internationalism, (b) methodological nationalism, and (c) the interplay between
domestic and international factors. We close with a call for researchers to
advocate and integrate into their methods a co-constitutive approach that
considers the simultaneous shaping of domestic and international elements