Lecturer in Public Int. Law & Public Law
Law Pathfoot Building University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA
I am a Lecturer in Public International Law and Public Law, with a PhD from the University of Aberdeen funded by the Centre for Citizenship, Civil Society and Rule of Law (CISRUL).
My research focuses on human rights and the accountability of public and private actors, particularly NGOs. I am the author of "NGOs and the Law: Self-Regulation and Accountability" (Routledge, 2023) and have published in leading journals including the Leiden Journal of International Law and Human Rights Law Review. I have presented my research across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
My research has informed policy debates, with citations by the European Parliament and Amnesty International, and has featured in Forbes and OpenDemocracy. I have also presented my work at international institutions, including the European Parliament and OECD.
I am founder and coordinator of the Forum for the Study of NGO Accountability and Regulation, a network of 25 academics, policymakers and NGO practitioners, and serve on the Finance Committee of the International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR). I am also a qualified (non-practising) solicitor in Italy, an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a trustee of the Global Minorities Alliance.
My research has been supported by grants from the Society of Legal Scholars and the CB Davidson Fund.
2021 Best Paper Award (Early Career Researcher) international exhibition: “Questions of Accountability: Prerogatives, Power and Politics”
Dr Carolei received the Best Paper Award (Early Career Researcher), sponsored by Routledge, at the 2021 international exhibition "Questions of Accountability: Prerogatives, Power and Politics", organised by the University of Worcester and the University of Sheffield.
2024 Prize 'Giovanni Carcea' by Inner Wheel Italy
The "Giovanni Carcea" prize was given to Dr Carolei by Inner Wheel Italy in recognition of his dedication and contributions to the field of human rights. This prestigious award is awarded annually to young talents from Crotone, Calabria (Italy).
Divisional Chief Examiner
Law and Philosophy Division, a.y. 2025-26.
Library Representative
Law School, 2023-2025.
University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK)
PhD Thesis External Examiner in Law, May 2026.
Article
Carolei D (2026) Mapping Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Responsibilities in International Human Rights Law: From Existing Norms to Adaptation [Mapping NGO Responsibilities in International Human Rights Law]. Nordic Journal of Human Rights / Nordisk Tidsskrift for Menneskerettigheter. https://doi.org/10.1080/18918131.2026.2661157
Book Chapter
Non-Governmental Organisation Accountability
Carolei D (2025) Non-Governmental Organisation Accountability. In: Flinders M, Dimova G & Monaghan C (eds.) in Flinders M., Dimova G., Monaghan C. (eds) Understanding accountability: New perspectives on a fractured world, pp. 245-264. https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-Accountability-New-Perspectives-on-a-Fractured-World/Flinders-Dimova-Monaghan/p/book/9781032588483?srsltid=AfmBOoraJSBZg3yGeXKhd0CMpTN4xgWl8djW_sJMVwgygG8d_SJdhp64
Article
Wood J & Carolei D (2025) The OECD Standards on Civil Society: Protecting Civic Space while making Civil Society Organisations More Accountable. International Organizations Law Review, 22 (3), pp. 609-641. https://doi.org/10.1163/15723747-22030011
Book Chapter
NGO–NGO Conflict: The Legal Case of Survival International v. WWF
Carolei D (2025) NGO–NGO Conflict: The Legal Case of Survival International v. WWF. In: Zarnegar Deloffre M & Quack S (eds.) "A Relational Approach to NGOs in Global Politics: Beyond Cooperation and Competition". Oxford University PressOxford, pp. 35-59. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780198942757.003.0003
Monograph
Non-Governmental Organisations and the Law: Self-Regulation and Accountability
Carolei D (2023) Non-Governmental Organisations and the Law: Self-Regulation and Accountability. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003221838
Article
Carolei D (2022) An International Ombudsman to make non-governmental organizations more accountable? Too good to be true …. Leiden Journal of International Law, 35 (4), pp. 867-886. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0922156522000474
Website Content
Carolei D (2022) Applying the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) – An analysis of the National Contact Points Caselaw. Nova Centre on Business, Human Rights and the Environment Blog [Blog Post] 04.04.2022. https://novabhre.novalaw.unl.pt/applying-the-oecd-guidelines-for-multinational-enterprises-to-non-governmental-organisations-ngos-an-analysis-of-the-national-contact-points-caselaw/
Article
Carolei D (2022) Accountability beyond Corporations: The Applicability of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to Non-profit Organisations. Nonprofit Policy Forum, 13 (1), pp. 31-47. https://doi.org/10.1515/npf-2020-0024
Book Review
Carolei D (2021) Debates in Charity Law. Review of: John Picton and Jennifer Sigafoos (eds),
2020, Hart Publishing, 328 pp. ISBN 9781509926831. Voluntary Sector Review, 12 (1), pp. 155-157. https://doi.org/10.1332/204080520x15998354634327
Article
Carolei D & Bernaz N (2021) Accountability for Human Rights: Applying Business and Human Rights Instruments to Non-Governmental Organizations. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 13 (3), pp. 507-528. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huab042
Commentary
Carolei D (2020) Shell UK Ltd v Stichting Greenpeace Council: The Court of Session on the Right to Protest in the North Sea. Juridical Review, 2020 (2), pp. 81-86.
Article
Are Civil Society Organisations Accountable to their Beneficiaries?
Carolei D (2020) Are Civil Society Organisations Accountable to their Beneficiaries?. Atâtôt - Revista Interdisciplinar de Direitos Humanos da UEG, 1 (1), pp. 25-51. https://www.revista.ueg.br/index.php/atatot/article/view/9940
Article
Carolei D (2019) Is Civil Society Self-Regulation Effective? The case of Roman Third-Sector and "Mafia Capitale" Scandal. Journal of Law, Social Justice and Global Development, (24), pp. 115-128. https://doi.org/10.31273/LGD.2019.2407
Conference Paper (published)
Carolei D (2019) Testing the Effectiveness of Civil Society Self-Regulation: The Case of Roman Third-Sector and the Scandal ‘Mafia Capitale’. In: Proceedings of Democracy and Legitimacy: The Role of the Third Sector in a Globalizing World 13th International Conference. Conference Working Paper Series, XI. Democracy and Legitimacy: The Role of the Third Sector in a Globalizing World 13th International Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 10.07.2018-13.07.2018. Baltimore, MD, USA: International Society for Third-Sector Research. https://www.istr.org/page/WP_Amsterdam
Newspaper Article
What happens when NGOs are accused of violating human rights?
Carolei D (2019) What happens when NGOs are accused of violating human rights?. openDemocracy. 16.04.2019. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/what-happens-when-ngos-are-accused-violating-human-rights/
Commentary
Charity self-regulation: a commentary on the NCVO’s Code of Ethics 2018
Carolei D (2019) Charity self-regulation: a commentary on the NCVO’s Code of Ethics 2018. Voluntary Sector Review, 10 (1), pp. 59-67. https://doi.org/10.1332/204080519X15478198972992
Video
Is civil society self-regulation effective?
Carolei D (2018) Is civil society self-regulation effective?. [YouTube video] 02.11.2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEoXIXU7Teo&t=8s
Article
Carolei D (2018) Survival International v World Wide Fund for Nature: Using the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises as a Means of Ensuring NGO Accountability. Human Rights Law Review, 18 (2), pp. 371-384. https://doi.org/10.1093/hrlr/ngy002
Newspaper Article
Carolei D (2018) How is Oxfam being held accountable over the Haiti scandal? - British Politics and Policy Blog [London School of Economics]. 07.03.2018.
Article
Carolei D (2017) Cestaro v. Italy: The European Court of Human Rights on the Duty to Criminalise Torture and Italy’s Structural Problem. International Criminal Law Review, 17 (3), pp. 567-585. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718123-01703003
Technical Report
The Most Persecuted Minority in Europe: An Assessment of Roma Rights in Europe
Carolei D (2015) The Most Persecuted Minority in Europe: An Assessment of Roma Rights in Europe. Global Minorities Alliance. Minorities in Focus Report, 2015. Glasgow. http://www.globalminorities.co.uk/gma-reports/the-most-persecuted-minority-in-europe-an-assessment-of-roma-rights-in-europe
Article
Human Rights and Transnational Companies: Responsibility without Accountability
Carolei D (2014) Human Rights and Transnational Companies: Responsibility without Accountability. Bocconi Legal Papers, (4), pp. 185-195.
Article
Multiculturalismo e minoranze nell’era della globalizzazione
Carolei D (2013) Multiculturalismo e minoranze nell’era della globalizzazione. Dike kai nomos, 2 (5), pp. 93-118.
At the University of Stirling, I lead and teach the LLB modules in Public Law and Legal Systems, International Human Rights Law, and Public International Law.
