Jurisprudence

Post from State College, Pennsylvania

Patrick McClanahan from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg travelled to Pennsylvania for seven months. He met convicted burglars in four different prisons and encouraged them to rob houses in the service of science. more

Should Climate Activists be Punished as Common Offenders?

Their acceptance of responsibility and political motivation should be taken into account as a mitigating factor when sentencing more

Insights into Unreported Crime Crucial for Prevention – German Federal Constitutional Court strengthens academic freedom

The court emphasized the importance of confidential data collection on criminal conduct more

Three gentlemen in suits, on the right three flags, including those of Italy and Europe

Reinhard Zimmermann awarded the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize more

“The principle of majority decision does not mean that the majority can do whatever it wants”

Armin von Bogdandy about the erosion of democracy in Poland and Hungary, parallels with Latin America, and  the EU’s rule of law more

Silhouette of a person with a hood over their head and a smartphone in their hand.

Interview with Johanna Rinceanu and Randall Stephenson, senior researchers at the Department of Criminal Law at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg, on what medical diagnosis and modern-day internet regulation have in common more

Portrait of Heiko Richter

An interview on the EU's planned Digital Markets Act with competition law specialist Heiko Richter more

portrait of Christian Marxsen

What options are there for holding those accountable who are responsible for the Ukraine war? In an interview, International Law expert Christian Marxsen explains which courts are responsible and what the impact of a guilty verdict over the perpetrators might be more

Double success

Marietta Auer and Iain Couzin are awarded the Leibniz Prize 2022 of the German Research Foundation DFG more

Deliberate ignorance: choosing not to know

Intentionally foregoing information can be a good decision for both individuals and society more

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Should Climate Activists be Punished as Common Offenders?

Their acceptance of responsibility and political motivation should be taken into account as a mitigating factor when sentencing more

Insights into Unreported Crime Crucial for Prevention – German Federal Constitutional Court strengthens academic freedom

The court emphasized the importance of confidential data collection on criminal conduct more

Three gentlemen in suits, on the right three flags, including those of Italy and Europe

Reinhard Zimmermann awarded the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize more

“The principle of majority decision does not mean that the majority can do whatever it wants”

Armin von Bogdandy about the erosion of democracy in Poland and Hungary, parallels with Latin America, and  the EU’s rule of law more

Double success

Marietta Auer and Iain Couzin are awarded the Leibniz Prize 2022 of the German Research Foundation DFG more

A hyperactive legislator

Numerous changes in asylum and residency law have led to differences in the way that the law is applied and legal uncertainty more

Asylum facilities that violate laws

Conditions in Greek EU hotspots and German arrival centres violate fundamental rights and EU directives more

International law in the times of the coronavirus

Legal experts at the MPI for Comparative Public Law and International Law examine the respone of WHO in curbing the coronavirus pandemic more

The case for corona bonds

Eleven legal experts from different European countries argue in favour of European bonds to help with economic recovery more

"A new quality of violation of the law"

Since the Turkish government called into question the refugee deal with the European Union at the end of February, dramatic scenes have been taking place in the Turkish-Greek border region. Thousands of refugees are stuck in no man's land in the hope of being accepted into Europe. But Greece has closed the border and is pushing back migrants by force. Catharina Ziebritzki, Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, evaluates the EU's handling of refugees at the external border from a legal perspective. more

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Silhouette of a person with a hood over their head and a smartphone in their hand.

Interview with Johanna Rinceanu and Randall Stephenson, senior researchers at the Department of Criminal Law at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg, on what medical diagnosis and modern-day internet regulation have in common more

Portrait of Heiko Richter

An interview on the EU's planned Digital Markets Act with competition law specialist Heiko Richter more

portrait of Christian Marxsen

What options are there for holding those accountable who are responsible for the Ukraine war? In an interview, International Law expert Christian Marxsen explains which courts are responsible and what the impact of a guilty verdict over the perpetrators might be more

Deliberate ignorance: choosing not to know

Intentionally foregoing information can be a good decision for both individuals and society more

"Deliberate ignorance can be understood as a cultural skill"

We live in a knowledge society in which science and education is of particular importance. But under certain circumstances, we all benefit from deliberate ignorance. The Max Planck directors Ralph Hertwig and Christoph Engel explain why deliberately foregoing information in certain areas should even be prescribed and taught. more

"Interfering with patent protection means playing with fire"

Coronavirus vaccines are in short supply. India and South Africa have called for a relaxation of patent protection rules. Their proposal to temporarily suspend intellectual property (IP) rules related to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments is currently being discussed at the World Trade Organization. But is this proposal the right approach? In an interview, Reto Hilty, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, explains why he thinks laying hands on patent protection is dangerous. more

Regulatory thickets – a problem?

A game-theoretical study shows when bureaucracies tend to excessive regulations more

“Informal agreements as an opportunity for a fairer migration policy”

The European Commission is currently negotiating with Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania to ensure that refugees do not even reach Europe's external borders - a current example of how the EU is outsourcing its responsibility for migration to third countries. Cooperation like this is increasingly taking place on an informal level. In an interview, legal scholar Luc Leboeuf from the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology talks about the risks, but also the opportunities that such agreements bring with them. more

"A liberal culture within the police force is something worth fighting for"

Following the attacks by rioting youths on police officers in Stuttgart and the police violence against blacks in the USA, Max Planck Director Ralf Poscher explains in an interview the different cultures of the police in Germany and the USA and the possibilities of preventing discrimination. more

In her essay, Max Planck Director Ayelet Shachar describes how governments in western countries are increasingly trying to control access to their territories from a distance and monitor the mobility of their own citizens more

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