October 20, 2023

ENS Paris

Jourdan Amphitheater

École normale supérieure, 48 Boulevard Jourdan, Paris 75014

The conference can be viewed online. 

Overview of the conference:

It is commonplace today to view our modes of production and consumption, investment and trade—in short, the economy itself—as the root of ecological problems. It is less common to ask how the various branches of economic law must evolve to correct or replace current practices. Finally, let’s be honest: it is rare to ask how we, as educators, should adapt our legal instruction—and especially our teaching of economic law. Yet, as the highest authorities in higher education and research acknowledged in the Grenoble Agreement of April 10 and 11, 2021, engaging in such reflection is both essential and urgent.

How should we proceed? First, by taking stock of the current situation and identifying the issues raised by the contrast between current teaching practices and ecological imperatives. To this end, an introductory roundtable will present the findings of a sociological survey of economic law professors regarding their teaching practices, as well as an analysis of economic law textbooks. These findings will then be discussed and compared with other teaching practices, including those abroad. The central question will be whether the ecological transition simply revives old debates regarding the teaching of economic law or whether it raises new questions.

In a second roundtable discussion, we propose to examine the extent to which the coherence of various branches of economic law is being challenged by changes in legislation. There are many questions to consider. Has the cross-cutting and global nature of the ecological transition succeeded (or is it succeeding) in transforming or enriching the teaching of economic law? Is the renewal of economic law education the automatic result of (uneven) legislative changes across different disciplinary fields, or of a more substantive approach that embraces the cross-cutting nature of these issues? Can the ecological transition serve as a catalyst for breaking down the barriers between the teaching of economic law and environmental law?

Such an examination of the relationship between economic law and ecology raises questions about the boundaries between legal disciplines, the possibility of applying techniques from other branches of law within a given field, the teaching of the relationships between branches of law, and the alignment of legal education with the bar exams for which economic law studies prepare students, in short, on teaching methods, particularly with regard to research in economic law. We will address these theoretical and methodological questions in a third roundtable discussion, where we will also examine the advantages and characteristics of clinical legal education.

Building on this discussion of the teaching of economic law, the fourth and final roundtable will approach the topic from a decidedly pragmatic perspective. It will focus on institutional efforts to “green” academic programs and on feedback regarding the teaching of economic law, in a context where economic, environmental, and social issues are increasingly intertwined.

At the conclusion of this day, which combines an overview of current practices in the teaching of economic law, reflection on the role that academics can play in revitalizing them, and an exploration of the most inspiring projects and techniques, we hope that faculty, students, and interested participants will have gained greater insight and a renewed desire to innovate as part of the vast ongoing process of adapting economic law to ecological challenges.

DIRECTIONS : ENS Jourdan Campus at 48 Bd. Jourdan, 75014 Paris; RER Cité internationale; Metro Porte d’Orléans; Tram T3a stop Montsouris; Bus 88 stop Jourdan – Montsouris

To watch the conference and participate remotely:https://meet.goto.com/622519613