Twenty Years of Research Into the Swiss Justice System

At the same time the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) was established 20 years ago, a new era began for research into the justice system in Switzerland: while the focus of scientific research up to that time had been on procedural law issues, it increasingly urned to questions relating to the organization of the courts and of court management.

This contribution charts the main content of and milestones in research into the justice system in Switzerland over the past 20 years – from its beginnings right up to our current research topics.

In particular, it shows that New Public Management has been the nucleus of justice research in Switzerland, and that this major inter-university, interdisciplinary research project has given a new dimension on research into the justice system. It also shows that research into the justice system in Switzerland has numerous international connections and that the researchers are internationally integrated.

The article concludes with current research needs – in particular with regard to a reliable empirical basis for the Swiss courts, the economic impact of court activities and the digital transformation of the judiciary.