COVID-19 and the Embracing of Technology: A ‘New Normal’ for International Arbitration

Abstract

The signs of the Black Death pandemic of the fourteenth century can still be seen across Europe, in the surviving names of long-abandoned medieval villages and religious institutions. The death rate in England and across much of Europe was thought to be between 40% and 60% of the population; every facet of life continued to be impacted by the event for many decades. The disruptive economic impact on the availability of labour was profound, with many historians arguing that the changed balance of power between employer and labourer accelerated the end of feudal societal structures. This encouraged greater mobility of labour and higher wages and contributed to the notion of organised labour that underpins much social and economic change in post-medieval Europe.