Quo Vadis Refugee Convention?

Faced with a so-called refugee crisis, European politicians, practitioners and scholars discuss whether the 1951 Refugee Convention is in need of reform. Many of the arguments and questions have been raised previously, for example during the Balkan war, but today, the context differs. We are seeing the highest number of refugees ever, with 65, 3 […]

Panel: Mobilising in Exile – Syrian Refugee and Diaspora Mobilisation

After five and a half years of conflict, the situation in Syria is worsening: there is increased fighting and violence on the ground and no clear road map to peace. More than five million Syrians have fled their country to seek safety in neighboring countries and beyond. How do these exiles mobilize for political change […]

Annual Lecture on Law & Social Transformation by Charles Epp: What makes Climate-Change Litigation effective?

– Understanding Strategic Litigation Campaigns Norwegian climate change activists consider going to court to force policy change on oil drilling. In the United States there is an ongoing campaign by environmental groups to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions where litigation has played a central part – in some cases with considerable success. What factors influence how […]

Roundtable: Measuring Child Rights in Norway

The UN Convention for the Rights of the Child has emerged as a central yardstick in assessing policies and practices concerning children. But how do we measure the extent of implementation? And what can social science methods contribute to legal evaluations? This roundtable is part of a LawTransfrom/Save the Childen project headed by Malcolm Langford. Introduction by […]

Roundtable: Trans-Gender Lawfare

In June 2016 Norway passed new legislation for the change of legal gender, whereby the country went from being one of the most restrictive places in Europe – where people who wanted to change their legal gender had to undergo sex affirming surgery – to becoming one of the most liberal. All that is required […]

Lecture by Jeroen van der Sluijs: Responsible Evidence Appraisal

The rapid increase in the use of evidence to legitimise decisions reflects a pervasive idea that more science equals better policies. Often, decision makers become mired in contested evidence, beset by uncertainties and contradictions. In critical challenges, whether climate change, global pollinator collapse, or migration, science is expected to provide conclusive facts and is often used instrumentally to suppress disputes. […]

Roundtable:  Threats to the independence of the judiciary – cross-regional perspectives

Courts are growing increasingly powerful all over the world. While independent and robust courts can secure democratic governance and protect citizens’ rights and wellbeing, dependent and weak judiciaries exacerbate injustice and inequality. They have validated – and prohibited – presidential re-elections in Latin America; supported – and condemned – military coups in Asia; enforced – […]

Roundtable: Assessing Socio-economic Effects of Incarceration

Both those arguing for and against the use of prion sentences for various crimes use economic arguments and reference to socio-economic effects to support their position – but what do we know about the social and economic consequences of incarcerating offenders – and how can we know? What are the appropriate measures for assessing this? […]