Workshop: Facilitating Empirical Studies of Judicial Behavior on Constitutional Courts from a Comparative Perspective

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This proposal will fund a two day workshop to bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars who study high courts from a comparative perspective. The workshop will introduce scholars to various theories and methodologies used by the disparate group of scholars at the workshop. Workshop participants will identify new areas of study in order to move from country- and region-specific studies to a literature that truly involves comparative research, with the goal or fostering advancement of scientific theory through cross-fertilization of research perspectives. In addition to offering established scholars new perspectives on research, the workshop will facilitate collaborative research among junior and senior scholars, as well as graduate students. The workshop will develop a research agenda to bring new theoretical perspectives to the study of high courts from a comparative perspective. While the study of courts other than the U.S. Supreme Court has matured and advanced both theoretically and methodologically, there is no unifying theory or concerted effort to develop a more integrated body of theoretical and empirical research of high courts. Studies of unique courts, or at best studies of courts from particular regions, dominate the various literatures. To address this limitation in the research, the workshop intends to facilitate truly comparative research that advances theoretical understanding as well as empirical data collection and verification. The workshop aims to bring together an interdisciplinary group scholars from various disciplines who focus on disparate theories and courts, offering an opportunity for dialogue and collaboration. The workshop will be hosted by Texas A&M University in Fort Worth, Texas. The agenda will include an overview of dominant themes from various perspectives, a series of discussions on methodological and theoretical challenges, as well as theory building and new directions of research.