Program in Law and Social Science

Texas A&M University School of Law’s Program in Law and Social Science promotes the application of social science and empirical methods to the study of law and legal institutions. The faculty affiliated with the program use economics, psychology, political science, and other social science research and methods to analyze the legal system and public policy. Professors Gary Lucas and Milan Markovic are co-conveners of the Program.

 November 16-17, 2018

Co-hosted ​with the Texas A&M Law Aggie Dispute Resolution Program, the Friday, Nov. 16 symposium will feature a keynote presentation by Hagler Fellow Tom Stipanowich. Panels will focus on mediation and online dispute resolution (ODR) in the courts, plea bargaining, and diversity/inclusivity among neutrals.

On Saturday, November 17, Texas A&M also will hold a half-day Regional Dispute Resolution “Schmooze.” This will be an opportunity for participants to:

• Present and receive feedback on dispute resolution-related scholarly works-in-progress and
• Provide feedback to the National Center for State Courts and The Pew Charitable Trusts regarding evaluation metrics for court-connected ODR pilots. 

► Full event details & agenda available here.

Registration now open

 February 15, 2019

Co-hosted with the Texas A&M Journal of Property Law and Center for Law and Intellectual Property, the symposium gathers leading scholars on copyright economics to critically examine the findings of Professor Glynn Lunney's new book, Copyright's Excess: Money and Music in the U.S. Recording Industry.

April ​20, 2018

​In Spring 2018, the Law and Social Sciences Program sponsored a workshop to promote interdisciplinary legal scholarship in Texas. The workshop ​brought together scholars from various disciplines, including economics, political science, and law, that hail from universities throughout the state.

Workshop event details available here

Conference on Facilitating Empirical Studies of Judicial Behavior on Constitutional Courts from a Comparative Perspective
May 11-12, 2018

The Texas A&M University School of Law Program in Law and Social Science hosted a N​ational Science Foundation (NSF)-funded conference on “Facilitating Empirical Studies of Judicial Behavior on Constitutional Courts from a Comparative Perspective” on May 11-12, 2018. The conference ​brought together an interdisciplinary group of scholars who study high courts from a comparative perspective. Conference participants included ​esteemed political scientists, economists, sociologists and legal scholars from around the world and doctoral students from ​across the country. The goal of the conference ​was to develop a path forward for larger-scale empirical research on national high courts. The participants assembled a collection of existing data and resources, discussed strategies for extending data availability and comparability across national systems, and encouraged collaborations among researchers.

► Learn more about the NSF grant.
► View the NSF award abstract.
► Conference details available.

Learn more

The Program sponsors a speaker series that brings distinguished interdisciplinary scholars to the law school to present their work and to interact with faculty and students.

2017-18 Schedule of Speakers: