In 2024, CWRU School of Law launched the International Development Law Practicum. Adjunct Professor Rumu Sarkar leads the Practicum and also teaches the related law course, “International Development Law.”
Professor Sarkar is the author of two leading textbooks in the field—International Development Law (Oxford University Press) and Transnational Business Law (Kluwer Law International). The latest edition of her textbook has her video lectures and flashcards (Q&As) embedded in each chapter. (International Development Law (3d ed., 2025)(Springer). She was previously an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and has served as general counsel and assistant general counsel to several organizations including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, now the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. (DFC).
The Practicum focuses on social impact investing in the Global South. The enrolled law students work on white papers, policy guidelines, toolkits and legal templates that respond to the needs of the Practicum's partner institutions under the direction of Professor Sarkar.
The Practicum has an anchor pro bono partner: Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) headquartered in Singapore. The Practicum’s collaboration with IIX provides essential legal insights to support IIX’s innovative projects which empower women entrepreneurs across Asia, Europe and Africa. Known for developing sophisticated financial instruments, IIX creates blended finance solutions that mobilize capital from diverse sources, including public funds from donors such as the DFC and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, alongside private and philanthropic investors. IIX’s groundbreaking Women’s Livelihood Bond™ series—a first-of-its-kind, impact investment initiative—advances sustainable livelihoods for underserved women, setting a global benchmark for gender-lens investing. As a strategic leader in social impact finance, IIX continues to push the envelope in creating innovative financial instruments that champion gender equality and climate action.
For more information about the Practicum or to join it as a partner institution, please contact Professor Sarkar at rxs1200@case.edu.
Practicum Papers
Fall 2025
- Aziz Sidky, “Exploring the Possibilities of Blue and Orange Bond Synergies”
- Aziz Sidky, “The Use of Stablecoins in Humanitarian Aid Operations: A Case Study of Syria"
Spring 2025
- Cecelia Mercer, “Social Impact Financing Playbook”
- Xiaoqi Wang, “Orange Bonds for Sustainable Peace: Advancing Gender Equality for Peacebuilding and Peacekeeping"
Fall 2024
- Emmanuella Naon, “Navigating Equity Investments at Different Stages of Capital Growth: An Analysis of Good Governance “Best Practices” from an Indian and Global Perspective
- Yuqi Sun, “Scaling the Orange Bond Asset Class: A Strategic Legal Overview for Investors, Issuers, and Advisors with Legal Frameworks and Insights from the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ Series"
- Yuqi Sun, “Scaling the Orange Bond Asset Class: A Practical Toolkit for Investors, Issuers, and Advisors with Legal Frameworks and Insights from the Women’s Livelihood Bond™ Series"