The Max Planck Lawcast showcases the academic research being conducted across the various Institutes that comprise the Max Planck Law network. With over 400 legal researchers pushing the frontiers of legal knowledge, when it comes to new and exciting legal research the Lawcast has you covered.
Who Carries the Shield? Examining Europe's New Democracy Plan
Guest: Franca Maria Feisel (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)
In this episode, Christopher Murphy is joined by Franca Maria Feisel as they examine the European Democracy Shield (EDS): a major new EU policy framework designed to safeguard the foundations of European democratic life.
Unlike previous Brussels democracy initiatives that relied heavily on top-down regulations targeting governments and tech platforms, the EDS attempts to shift the front line of defence directly to civil society and everyday citizens. But can a bottom-up approach truly withstand modern threats to democracy, or does it risk shifting state responsibility onto the public?
Find out more:
https://law.mpg.de/lawcast/
19 Jun 2026
In the Flow: The Case for Process-Relational Functionalism
Guest: Randall Stephenson (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law)
For decades, the standard method for comparing legal systems around the world has been under fire. But what if the problem isn’t the method itself, but how we’ve been using it?
On this episode of the Lawcast, Randall Stephenson argues that instead of abandoning our old tools, we need to completely rethink them. By drawing on everything from ancient philosophy to quantum physics, he reimagines law not as a static museum of rules, but as a dynamic, living web of relationships. Get ready for a fascinating conversation on how we view global law.
Find out more:
https://law.mpg.de/lawcast/?id=223721
24 Mar 2026
Whose Rules? The Battle for the New International Order
Guest: Malcolm Jorgensen (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)
Imagine you’re on a yacht in the South China Sea. Suddenly, a US destroyer and a Chinese patrol vessel approach. Both claim rights to the same stretch of water; both believe they are following international law. How can two superpowers look at the same body of water and see two different sets of rules?
Join host Christopher Murphy and guest Malcolm Jorgensen as they explore the retreat of the 'rules-based order'. They discuss a world fracturing into spheres of influence, where international law is increasingly defined by the local superpower. It’s a fascinating look at how China, Russia, and the US are competing to rewrite the very definition of global power.
Find out more:
https://law.mpg.de/lawcast/?id=150080
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