volumes

The publication of this volume is well timed. In the European sphere constitutional law is currently much debated, especially as a consequence of the European Union (EU) integration project and its accompanying demands for constitutional revisions and adoption of super governmental principles. The impact of the project is much discussed and the opinions vary. The process also has initiated referendums in several countries, and the recent failure to ratify the new Constitutional Treaty has prompted a renewed debate on the legitimacy of European integration. Simultaneously a number of events in which several constitutional principles appear to clash with religious and ethical concerns have been given much attention in the media. Several recent incidents have also stirred up debates concerning the limits of constitutional principles and the need for revisions. The Danish publication of Muhammad caricatures, frequent clashes between principles concerning freedom of the press versus privacy, minority rights, and the protection of religious freedom are just a few examples of this. In the first part of this 52nd volume of Scandinavian Studies of Law (Sc.St.L.) 17 articles on constitutional law are presented. The second part is a documentation of the second annual conference of the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS) Why Europe? Possibilities and limits of European integration which was held in Stockholm 16 November 2006. The purpose of the conference was to provide scholarly perspectives on the sources of legitimacy, the democratic credentials and the constitutional alternatives for the EU. The contributions in this section are further elaborations of the speeches delivered at the conference. In addition, in order to provide a background to the discussions, this volume presents English versions of the Constitutions of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden

500 p.

This 51:st volume of the Scandinavian Studies in Law presents 26 articles on Scandinavian Procedural Law. The articles have all been written by academic jurists, highly prominent judges and officials active in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. At least two features make the recent development of procedural law in the Scandinavian counties interesting from a broad international perspective. The Scandinavian legal systems exhibit a unique mix of civil and common law traditions, and the judiciaries have in the last decade been profoundly affected by the European Union integration project. In several cases this has resulted in innovative solutions but also given rise to intense debates. In addition to the various articles on procedural law this volume contains presentations of the courts administration bodies in all the Scandinavian countries

650 p.

The second part addresses a range of issues related to the regulation of fundamental conditions of community life under the label of Social Private Law. This includes components associated with among other things what is known as the welfare state, a conception often attributed to the Scandinavian countries.

As a whole the collection provides a broad and multi-dimensional description of Scandinavian law today. Contributors are both outside observers and “internal” writers, and the volume should be an indispensable source for anyone interested in learning more about current Scandinavian legal culture. The majority of the articles that are included were originally presented at two workshops held in 2007.

The establishment of the series Scandinavian Studies in Law was an important initiative to manifest the fiftieth anniversary of the Stockholm Law Faculty in 1957. Consequently, the fiftieth anniversary of Scandinavian Studies in Law in 2007 coincides with the Centennial Jubilee of the Faculty.

554 p.

Use the cumulative index to create table of contents

Legal work is somewhat atypical in the foregoing respect. Compared with many other activities, there are few descriptions of how the various segments of a legal task are to be devised in order to achieve the greatest possible certainty of result. Lawyers tend to work reactively, i.e., the focus is on solving problems that have already arisen. Efforts aimed at avoiding problems before they begin to brew – i.e., proactively – are less common. The proactive approach is not unknown in the legal sphere but as compared to many other fields of the law the perspective is not very well elaborated. Against this background this volume of Scandinavian Studies in Law presents 25 articles on various aspects of proactive approaches in law, the majority of them focusing on contracting issues. The collection is simultaneously a documentation of a conference on proactive law held in Stockholm 2005. In addition to the articles on proactive law this volume contains a presentation of major law libraries in the Scandinavian countries.

462 p.
Use the cumulative index to create table of contents

In the Scandinavian legal education, jurisprudence is a compulsory subject for most legal degrees. In the academic curricula, the discipline is referred to as the “General Theory of Law” (in Swedish, allmän rättslära). Not surprisingly, its content and objectives are often discussed. The argumentation at times has been intense, as advocates for the various theories articulate different opinions as to the true nature of law, along with accompanying convictions concerning what are, can and should be considered acceptable legal methods. In the international debate, however, the terminological distinction between jurisprudence and legal dogmatics is not always maintained. The word “jurisprudence” is sometimes apparently also used in a broader context as a synonym for “law”, covering studies of both kinds. Jurisprudence thus also corresponds to legal science (in Swedish, rättsvetenskap). It is in this sense that the title of this book should be understood. This 48th volume of the Scandinavian Studies in Law (Sc.St.L.) has been dedicated to honour Professor Jes Bjarup on the occasion of his retirement from the chair in Jurisprudence at the Stockholm University Law Faculty in January 2005.

622 p.
Use the cumulative index to create table of contents

The Scandinavian countries have long been in the forefront when it comes to the use of IT, mobile telephones and the Internet. The awareness of technical potentialities is reflected in a longstanding jurisprudential interest in the field. The Swedish Law and Informatics Research Institute traces its origin back to 1968, the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law held its first seminar in 1970, and, not surprisingly, the activities in this field are presently more intense than ever. Following this tradition, this volume of Scandinavian Studies in Law presents 27 newly written articles on current legal issues relating to IT. The contributors are all scholars and practitioners active in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

621 p.

Use the cumulative index to create table of contents