2023 Administrative Law & Governance Colloquium:The Legitimacy of the State

The legitimacy of contemporary liberal democratic states is in a state of flux. Managing the effects of globalization, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and fighting escalating inflation have prompted serious questions about public administration in the Global North. These pressing issues have shone a spotlight on difficult areas for liberal democracies, which have struggled in recent decades to reconcile popular desires with the need for effective governance. In this year’s Administrative Law & Governance Colloquium, speakers will address challenges to legitimacy in liberal democratic states by focusing on a range of institutions: the executive branch, the civil service, administrative agencies, immigration enforcement and central banks. The overall goal is to outline contemporary legitimacy challenges and likely responses.

Tuesday February 7th 2023: 11.30 - 12.50 EST

Professor Margit Cohn (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), on the executive

Tuesday February 21st 2023: 11.30 - 12.50 EST

Professor Joseph Heath (University of Toronto), on the civil service

Tuesday March 14 2023: 11.30 - 12.50 EST

Professor Liz Fisher (University of Oxford) and Professor Sidney Shapiro (Wake Forest Law), on administrative agencies

Tuesday March 21 2023: 11.30 - 12.50 EST

Professor Robert Thomas (University of Manchester), on immigration

Tuesday April 4 2023: 11.30 - 12.50 EST

Professor Peter Conti-Brown (Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania), on central banks