Policy Within and Through Law

Walter Van Gerven, a Belgian lawyer and law professor who had served as Advocate General on the European Court of Justice, once wrote: "Practising law, whether as a politician, a judge, a lawyer or an academic, is to a certain degree creating or influencing policy." This statement - and many other similar or opposing statements - make one wonder about the nature of the policies concerned, the identities of the decision makers, and the rationale underlying those policies. These and related policy questions were debated by scholars from various Belgian law schools at the Assistant Conference / Conf�©rence des assistants (ACCA) held at Ghent University in May 2014. This book holds the fruits of the ACCA debates and includes concise contributions that focus on policy questions related to multiple fields of law, such as environmental, constitutional, civil, social, criminal, procedural, or EU law. It provides insight into the interplay between legislators and administrative bodies on the one hand, and judges and legal scholars on the other hand, bringing about the creation of a new policy or the adjustment (or abolishment) of an existing policy. [Subject: Law, Public Policy]