This article explores the central role of formalization in the history and functioning of international economic law. International economic law, in constituting and managing a ‘modern’ world economy, has relied on what we call ‘the dream of formality’. This dream gives a sense of internal coherence and future totality to international economic law. It enables international economic law to claim awareness and progressive inclusion of socio-economic and legal relations outside the ‘formal’ modern economy while enabling a regime of differentiation of the so-called ‘surplus’—often racialized—population. In a world where ‘informality’ is the norm and ‘formality’ is the exception, formalization’s colonial origins have evolved into a fully-fledged regime of social management and value extraction. This regime has embedded itself in international labour law and human rights, as well as in areas of international economic law such as Aid for Trade and Global Value Chains. Building on contemporary debates on racial and post-colonial capitalism, we focus on Colombia’s informal economy to illustrate the elusiveness of the dream of formality, and how current exercises of othering underpin today’s practices of ‘racialization otherwise’. Our question, then, is: what would international economic law look like if it did not follow the dream of formality but instead embraced the challenge of sustaining life?

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形式的梦想：否则种族化与国际经济法

本文探讨了形式化在国际经济法的历史和运作中的核心作用。国际经济法在构建和管理“现代”世界经济时，依赖于我们所谓的“形式之梦”。这一梦想使国际经济法具有内在的连贯性和未来的整体性。它使国际经济法能够在“正规”现代经济之外主张社会经济和法律关系的意识和逐步纳入，同时实现所谓的“过剩”——通常是种族化的——人口的差异化制度。在一个“非正规”是常态、“正规”是例外的世界里，正规化的殖民起源已经演变成一个成熟的社会管理和价值提取制度。该制度已融入国际劳工法和人权，以及国际经济法领域，例如贸易援助和全球价值链。在当代关于种族和后殖民资本主义的辩论的基础上，我们关注哥伦比亚的非正规经济，以说明形式梦想的难以捉摸，以及当前的他者练习如何支撑今天的“种族化”实践。那么，我们的问题是：如果国际经济法不追随形式的梦想，而是接受维持生命的挑战，它会是什么样子？我们专注于哥伦比亚的非正规经济，以说明形式梦想的难以捉摸，以及当前的他者实践如何支持当今的“种族化”实践。那么，我们的问题是：如果国际经济法不追随形式的梦想，而是接受维持生命的挑战，它会是什么样子？我们专注于哥伦比亚的非正规经济，以说明形式梦想的难以捉摸，以及当前的他者实践如何支持当今的“种族化”实践。那么，我们的问题是：如果国际经济法不追随形式的梦想，而是接受维持生命的挑战，它会是什么样子？