Institute of European and Comparative Law

Description

The Institute of European and Comparative Law serves as one of the Research Centres within the Oxford Law Faculty. Established in 1995 as the Centre for the Advanced Study of European and Comparative Law, it has since become a prominent research institution in the English-speaking world.

The Institute focuses on research and teaching in comparative law and European Union law, and it leads the Law Faculty's Comparative and European Law Research Group. It includes the Centre for Competition Law and Policy, a specialised unit dedicated to research and teaching of competition law and policy at the University of Oxford.

The Institute plays a crucial role in teaching comparative law, EU law, and competition law at Oxford. Its members oversee relevant undergraduate and graduate courses, and the IECL contributes a designated module on 'comparative methodology' to the Faculty's 'Course in Legal Methods' for research students. Additionally, the Institute manages the popular four-year undergraduate program, Law with Law Studies in Europe, which involves a year at one of Oxford's partner universities in continental Europe. It prepares Oxford students for their third year abroad and welcomes incoming exchange students who study for the one-year Diploma in Legal Studies in Oxford.

The Institute's research agenda is driven by the interests and activities of its members. While its traditional strength lies in the study of various European jurisdictions and comparisons between them, its scope has expanded to include other legal systems worldwide and engagement with comparative law in regions such as Asia. The Institute's work also embraces the emerging field of 'comparative common law' and covers both private and public law with relevant methodological expertise.

Regarding EU law, the Institute's members cover a wide range of topics, from fundamental constitutional questions to the internal market's black letter law, EU private law, and issues of state aid and competition. With Brexit making EU law a 'foreign' legal order from the UK's perspective, the Institute's unique combination of skills in comparative and EU law positions it well to navigate the fast-moving developments and serve as a beacon of EU law scholarship outside the European Union itself.

The Institute hosts regular seminars and conferences that often lead to publications in the series by Hart Publishing. It also fosters strong academic connections with institutions and researchers worldwide on behalf of the Law Faculty, resulting in collaborative projects. The sought-after Academic Visitor program welcomes around twenty post-doctoral researchers each year, enabling advanced research in comparative and/or EU law and contributing to the academic community at Oxford. The Institute is also open to exploring long-term affiliations with post-doctoral researchers who hold external research grants in the relevant fields and will provide support for appropriate grant applications.

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No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

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University of Oxford
Oxford