Research

Research at Leiden Law School means research at the highest level. From this research, dissertations, books and other scholarly output are published. Researchers at Leiden Law School contribute to public debates with appearances in the media and popular publications.

Faculty research focus areas

Leiden Law School has four overarching, interdisciplinary research focus areas:

• Sustainability and law
• Technology, law and justice
• Trust in institutions
• Law and empirical research

Research programmes

Research at Leiden Law School is further concentrated in eight research programmes in which researchers from different (legal) disciplines work together. 

Sector Plans

Over the last few years (2018-25), researchers from Leiden Law School conducted research in two themes within het National Law Sector Plan:

• Empirical Legal Studies (ELS)
• Institutions for Conflict Resolution (COI)

Since 2024, scientists take part in the cross-cutting theme within the Sectorplan Social Sciences and Humanities.

Interfaculty and interdisciplinary collaboration

Researchers actively participate in various interdisciplinary research programmes of Leiden University:

• Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences (SAILS)
• Social Resilience and Society
• Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC)
• Social Citizenship and Migration (SCM)
• Regenerative Medicine
• Liveable Planet

Previously, researchers also participated in profile areas:

• Asian Modernities and Traditions
• Interaction between Legal Systems (ILS)
• Political Legitimacy: institutions and identities