Centre for Law and Public Affairs (CeLAPA)

The Centre is an interdisciplinary research centre devoted to the exploration of the role of human rights in law and in public life. It acts as a forum for exchange between scholars who work in the legal doctrine, the philosophy of law, and the sociology and anthropology of law.
The Centre works, through its collaborative projects, to promote, protect and develop human rights. It engages in research and teaching, and organizes intellectual and policy dialogues aimed at increasing public understanding of the role of human rights in the building of democratic society. It collaborates with scholars and policymakers in Europe to advance collective knowledge about the linkages between democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. It engages the normative, conceptual, and policy issues surrounding the delineation and defence of human rights, the assurance of the ground rules of democratic politics, and the creation of political identity. The Centre’s research is grouped into four broad themes:

1. democracy and government;
2. immigration and citizenship
3. the rule of law;
4. human rights and global justice.

Interdisciplinary Approach
The Centre will approach these questions with the conviction that interdisciplinary breadth is essential to making intellectual and practical headway. The members of the Centre pursue these questions from the disciplines of law, political science, political and legal philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and history.

Goals and Strategies:
We will seek to achieve our mission through:

1. Undertaking research and outreach to advance the understanding of civil society and the wider public about human rights which serve as a foundation for or underpin democracy.
2. Using research to provide governments and officials in Europe with the tools for implementing and upholding international and constitutional standards regarding human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
3. Conducting research and policy work across a wide range of legal and socio-legal areas to contribute to ensuring the continuous relevance and development of human rights.
4. The Centre’s program includes regular workshops and conferences, attracting leading (philosophers of law) legal thinkers from around Europe.
5. A series of seminars for judges, government officials and policy makers, which will aim to bring together theory and practice and establish the Centre as a major think tank within the European space.