TRIPS and Pharmaceutical Patents in Djibouti: An ANTAnalysis

This article discusses the complexity inherent in the relationship between written law and social action. It uses actor-network theory (‘ANT’) to amplify this complexity and considers its value both in understanding socio-legal objects and, more broadly, to socio-legal studies itself. The article uses a case study of the role of the Trade Related Intellectual Property agreement (‘TRIPS’) regarding pharmaceutical patents in a ‘least developed country’, Djibouti. The study uses this pharmaceutical example to argue the insights offered by ANT, conceptualizing socio-legal objects, beyond comparable approaches such as implementation studies. It also offers a different, more compelling set of understandings than that which appears in the more standard texts on TRIPS. KEY WORDS actor-network theory; development; methodology; pharmaceutical patents; TRIP