Research collaboration of the Faculty of Law
Creating new contacts, and enforcing and maintaining already existing ones consist an essential part of the missions of an international, multidisciplinary research university. According to the strategy of the Faculty, all the activities of the Faculty must be high quality, and concerning the focal areas of research also on an internationally high level. The contacts created by the Faculty staff to various parts of the world play an important role in achieving these goals.
Collaboration in research projects
The primary aim of this research project is to develop a new approach to understanding and measuring corruption in affluent ‘Global North’ economies. This approach seeks to capture forms of corruption that have emerged as a topic of public concern in the wake of a series of cases that include banking rate frauds, the auto industry emissions scandals and the large-scale leaks known as the ‘Panama Papers’ and the ‘Paradise Papers’. In this context, there appears to be a widening gap between legal and social expectations of what can and should be defined and understood as ‘corrupt’. For example, although the activities uncovered by the ‘Panama Papers’ and the ‘Paradise Papers’ are largely within the law, they are clearly regarded by large sections of the public as illegitimate or even corrupt.
Current benchmark standards, including the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicator have been criticized for their reliance upon a subjective and selective sources of expert opinion that is drawn from dominant business and government networks. This project will use interviews with experts that do not have a close connection to business and government networks in order to begin a conversation about how an alternative basis for conceptualizing and measuring corruption in Global North economies might be developed.
The Faculty of Law works in cooperation in this research project with Professor David Whyte (University of Liverpool) who acts as the PI of the project. In reference to this research project you can contact Liisa Lähteenmäki.
Collaboration networks
BALEX is a legal competence cluster which aims at filling the current void in legal research and train-ing on Baltic Sea issues. BALEX was established by the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University in 2014.
The Baltic Sea is unique in many ways, including the way it is governed and regulated. It is arguably the most heavily regulated sea area in the world with up to six layers of regulation applying there at the same time. This aspect of the Baltic Sea has not received much attention so far. BALEX was established to change this.
BALEX is an international legal competence cluster, established in 2014 in Turku, Finland, by the Uni-versity of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, and working with collaborators throughout the Baltic Sea region. BALEX aims at filling the current void in legal research and training on Baltic Sea issues. The focus of BALEX is on legal research, interdisciplinary academic and vocational training and public events; the aims are to:
- carry out high quality legal research in matters that are of relevance for - and common to - the Baltic Sea region, and encourage young scientists within the scope of Baltic Sea research;
- offer interdisciplinary academic training programs for students, including tailor-made courses on legislation and governance in the region and, in the longer run, possibly summer schools or postgraduate programs in Baltic Sea law;
- provide vocational training for lawyers, civil servants and officials in the Baltic Sea region; and
- organize guest-lectures, conferences and workshops on topical themes.
Additional information on the home page.
The Faculty of Law at the University of Turku is a part of the international Legal Research Network (LRN), established in 2006.
The Legal Research Network aims at improving the international profile of its members, strengthening (thematic) research cooperation by its staff, and promoting the international scientific perspectives of its young researchers.
The annual Conference and Summer School are organized around specific themes which are approachable from different fields of legal research.
The members of the network are the Universities of
- Turku
- Bristol
- Budapest (ELTE)
- Ghent
- Groning
- Göttingen
- Lille-Nord-de-France
- Uppsala
Additional information on the LRN home page
Research visits at the Faculty of Law
Researchers from different parts of the world visit annually our faculty. The faculty may host a research visit in case a member of the Faculty is willing to act as an academic host to the visitor and the Faculty is able to provide the necessary insfratructure (work station, administrative services).
As a rule, the Faculty cannot cover the costs caused by the visit.
If you are interested in a research visit at our Faculty, please follow the instructions below.
The potential visitor is responsible for finding an academic host for their visit. See the profiles of our staff on our web site and contact directly a researcher with a profile fitting your own research. Please attach a CV and list of publications and possible other information on your visit to your email to the potential academic host.
Plan at least tentatively the timetable (when the visit begins and ends) and programme together with your academic host.
Contact the research coordinator of the Faculty. Include information on the timetable of your visit (when, for how long), your academic host, the planned programme and what you wish to achieve by your visit in your email.
The research coordinator will find out if your visit can be carried out. The research coordinator will also help with the practical arrangemants of the visit (e.g. reserving accommodation), if needed.