About the Project

This projects looks at at the extent to  which informal relations and networks explain how judicial institutions work, particularly in  non-Western contexts. We study how informal relations help  to explain the variations seen in a range of phenomena and processes, among them judicial  appointments, judicial decision-making, judicial administration, institutional development,  inter-branch relations, corruption, and court reform. 

The project brings scholars with different levels of seniority, disciplinary expertise and country/region of focus. Together, we seek to identify and analyse the configuration,  operation, and roles of informal relations and networks, and their importance for the study of courts in comparative perspective.