On 29 June 2018, Dr. Pierre-Emmanuel Audit [Professor, University Paris-2 Pantheon-Assas (Paris-2)] gave a talk, titled “Introduction to Behavioural Analysis of Law,” at UMT School of Law and Policy [SLP]. The audience included law students, law professors, lawyers, and the rector of UMT.
Since the 90’s, behavioural analysis of law has emerged as a field of research that is at the intersection of cognitive psychology and legal analysis. Cognitive psychology has demonstrated not only that humans are irrational, but also that they are structurally irrational. A map can be drawn of their traits or irrationality, which are called “cognitive biases.” Behavioural analysis of law analyses how this discovery is relevant to the law. From one perspective, cognitive biases are weaknesses that legislators may want to neutralize so as to protect individuals. From another perspective, cognitive biases can be analysed as tools that legislators can leverage so as to better implement public policies, which is called “nudging.”
After a brief introduction on how this field of research emerged, Prof. Dr. Audit focused on illustrating how cognitive biases can affect judges, and how they can influence legislation.
The talk was followed by a Q&A session.
In the end, Dr. Muhammad Aslam [Rector, UMT] and Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad [Founding Director and Associate Professor, SLP] thanked Prof. Dr. Audit for sharing his knowledge and expertise with the audience.
Prof. Dr. Audit also taught a short-course, titled “Introduction to Civil Law and French Law,” from 25 June 2018 to 28 June 2018, at SLP.
SLP is the only law school in Pakistan that regularly hosts foreign professors for such worthwhile academic activities.
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