Factors of Good Legislation

Background

In both politics and academia, the declining quality of legislation has been a subject of concern for some time. However, a universally accepted definition or a recognized set of criteria for "good" lawmaking is still lacking. In this regard, scholars increasingly express a need for empirical evidence. There is particular demand for research on how legislative processes are concretely structured in practice, and on the factors that influence them. This research project aims to help close this gap in the literature.

Objective

The main objective of the research project is to empirically identify the influencing factors in the various phases of the legislative process. The focus lies on understanding which factors influence the process, at what stage, and in what way. The project aims to generate findings that can be generalized, providing a valuable basis for assessing and improving the quality of legislation.

Methodology

The research project is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and team composition, combining both legal and social science methodologies. A comparative case study analysis is planned, focusing on selected legislative projects from the past decade in the policy areas of migration, spatial planning, and financial markets. This analysis will be based on qualitative evaluations of internal and external documents related to the legislative projects, as well as expert interviews with key stakeholders.

As part of the overall project, three independent doctoral theses will be written, each focusing on a specific phase of the legislative process: initiation, pre-parliamentary, and parliamentary phase.

The project is funded by the Foundation for Swiss Legal Studies and conducted in close collaboration with the Center for Democracy Studies Aarau (ZDA) and the Center for Legislative Studies (ZfR), both affiliated with the University of Zurich.

Project Leads: Prof. Andreas Lienhard, Prof. Andreas Glaser, Prof. Felix Uhlmann.

Further information is available on the website of the University of Zurich.