Seminar Public Trust and Public Law: validity and trust

A small scale international seminar, organised in the framework of our research programme Public Trust and Public Law, but the theme may be of interest as well to those from other areas of law.

Organised by Prof. Pauline Westerman (University of Groningen), Prof. Mauro Zamboni (University of Stockholm) en Prof. Jaap Hage (University of Maastricht).

Central topic is the relation between validity and trust. Soft law often lacks -partially or entirely- a proper legal basis. This is a remarkable phenomenon. Formal validity conditions are the classical strategy to generate or foster trust in cases where trust is not taken for granted. How then can the emergence and effectiveness of soft law be understood? Is the decreasing role of formal validity conditions to be understood as a result of general –may be even excessive- trust in the working of the legal order as a whole? Or is the function of validity tests replaced by other mechanisms?

The invited speakers, from various European countries,  will probably choose a theoretical point of view and will try to link this theme to classical theoretical notions of  validity (according to which an invalid law is not a norm at all!).

Papers will be distributed in advance and participants will be expected to have read them in advance as well.

You are most welcome to take part in this event. In order to arrange for the appropriate venue, you are advised to inform us before July 3. I am also interested to hear who would like to contribute to this theme. The program is not yet completely filled and fixed.

Contact and registration:

Michelle de Bruijn michelle_bruijn hotmail.com
Suzanne Schot s.l.schot student.rug.nl
Pauline Westerman p.c.westerman rug.nl