Guaranteeing a safe society and a just, democratic rule of law
The Law & Safety research group addresses the question of how we can ensure a safe society and a just, democratic rule of law at the local level. With practice-based research, we help residents, professionals and local administrators by better equipping them for the challenges they may encounter. How flexibly may they interpret laws and regulations and what ethical dilemmas will they face? How can local government best deal with social unrest? How can they guarantee the opportunity for loyal dissent by professionals? These themes are central to the research programme.
The Law & Safety research group has the following research lines:
• Robin Hood behaviour: sometimes residents, administrators and/or local officials decide to bend or break rules and laws for a noble goal. Why do they do that and what are the consequences? For those who stick their necks out, we try to identify scope within the applicable laws and rules. But we also define the limits: when does bending or breaking rules go too far?
• Local security and social unrest: what instruments do professionals, local officials and administrators have to promote safety in society and how best to deal with (an undercurrent of) social unrest and escalations?
• Good government and countervailing power: this research line centres on the question of how we can monitor and exercise checks on the power of our administrative, democratic system, inter alia by making sure professionals feel free to display ‘loyal dissent’ towards their superiors.
