Between Management and the Rule of Law: Results of the Research Project ‘Basic Research into Court Management in Switzerland’

Abstract

The courts are the jewel of any state governed by the rule of law. Yet even the judicial system must modernize its methods of organization and management if it is to guarantee sustainable jurisdiction. But how much management is sustainable within the judicial system? And what is the right way towards an optimized judicial system and well performing courts?

An interdisciplinary research team from six universities under the lead of the Centre of Competence for Public Management at the University of Bern has considered this question in several dissertations and studies as part of a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

This paper will provide a summary and a reflection of the research work and future fields of research.