The Kooijmans Institute for Law and Governance hosts six research programmes. Each programme's line of research relates to the central theme of Law and Governance.
The Kooijmans Institute fulfills one of VU Amsterdam's central thematic areas: Governance for Society. The director of the institute is Prof. Edward Kleemans.
Law operates in a context of public administration and society, where historical, political, economic, social and technological aspects play a part. The Kooijmans Institute includes this rich societal context in its research questions, and seeks connection with concrete societal needs and themes. Insights from legal-theory and empirical research are critically examined and employed.
Blurring between public and private
Contemporary regulatory issues are complex, because public and private law aspects intermix. The Kooijmans Institute does research that expressly focuses on legislative and regulatory matters where the traditional roles of private parties and public governments blur together.
Globalisation
Globalisation causes difficult issues in public administration in the areas of law, politics and justice. The Institute's research is on the interfaces between law, (international) politics and morality.