Legal proceedings can expose wrongdoing and protect people whose injuries would otherwise go unanswered. They can also impose costs that change behavior before a court decides the merits. CGHA examines both effects.
Our lawfare programme asks when legal and institutional processes improve accountability, and when cost, delay or pressure becomes a substitute for establishing the facts. The standard is the same for companies, campaign organizations, governments and international institutions.
What we measure
We examine the claim, the evidence supporting it, the remedy sought and the burden of the process. Relevant outcomes include compensation and disclosure, but also settlement conditions, research abandoned, products withdrawn, decisions delayed and criticism withheld. A costly or unsuccessful lawsuit is not, by itself, evidence of abuse.
Lawfare and the Production of Policy
The five papers follow scientific claims through litigation, professional enforcement and international policy, then examine the incentives that can sustain campaigns. Each separates documented findings from hypotheses and proposed research.
Paper 1 — When Process Becomes Punishment
The definition, economics and diagnostic framework for assessing when procedural burdens determine outcomes before the merits are reached. Reviewed working-paper draft; publication forthcoming.
Paper 2 — When Evidence Becomes Authority
How IARC classifications move through research, regulation and litigation, with comparisons that preserve differences in evidence, dates and mandates. Reviewed working-paper draft; publication forthcoming.
Paper 3 — Beyond Deep Pockets
How law, certification, employment and institutional amplification can affect scientific participation, assessed against dated claims and procedural safeguards. Reviewed working-paper draft; publication forthcoming.
Paper 4 — Silence in Geneva
How institutional alignment and unequal capacity can shape international health governance, distinguishing documented findings from hypotheses about pressure and silence. Reviewed working-paper draft; publication forthcoming.
Paper 5 — When the Campaign Becomes the Cause
Why campaigning may persist as evidence changes, and how evidence provenance, financial disclosure and measurable outcomes can test organizational incentives. Reviewed working-paper draft; publication forthcoming.
Our approach
We follow the original study, legal filing or institutional decision wherever possible. We distinguish hazard from exposure-specific risk, a settlement from a finding of liability, and an allegation from an established fact. Funding and conflicts warrant disclosure on every side. The aim is to understand whether the process produces better decisions and measurable benefits, and whether it can correct mistakes.
