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EPJ B Topical Issue: CompLex: Complexity Science for Legal Applications

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Published on 14 November 2024

Guest Editors: Pierpaolo Vivo, Daniel Martin Katz, J.B. Ruhl, Philipp Hövel

Submissions are invited for a Topical Issue of EPJ B on CompLex: Complexity Science for Legal Applications.

In recent years, the intersection of law, governance, and complexity science has emerged as a fascinating and important area of study (See CompLex: legal systems through the lens of complexity science for a recent review).
Modern societies are regulated by intricate legal and governance systems that share many characteristics with complex adaptive systems traditionally studied in physics and mathematics. These include nonlinear effects, feedback loops, and emergent behaviors. As our world becomes increasingly interconnected and complex, there is a growing need to apply rigorous quantitative methods to analyze and improve our legal and governance frameworks.
The study of social institutions and governance has historically been confined to philosophy and social sciences. However, interdisciplinary applications of physics and other hard sciences have had a profound impact on our understanding of complex systems in biology, economics, and other fields. It is now time to extend this approach to law and governance.
For over a decade, complexity scientists have been turning their attention to societal issues, but it is only recently that important legal and political questions have been formulated in a language that science can comprehend and meaningfully address. While some barriers still exist, the time is ripe for a full-fledged cross-fertilization between law/governance, physics, and computer science.

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