Theme 2: The legitimacy of the impact of law beyond the state on the rule of law in the Netherlands

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Theme 2: The legitimacy of the impact of law beyond the state on the rule of law in the Netherlands
Non-state actors have proliferated and they, because of globalisation, have more and more impact on the daily lives of individuals beyond borders. Some non-state actors have a clear criminal purpose, such as organized crime groups and terrorist organizations. Others, such as multinational corporations, have legitimate objectives, i.e. commercial and profitable objectives, but can still have a significant impact on fundamental rights and essential public values, such as health and the environment.

Another distinction that can be made is that certain organizations, such as terrorist organizations and criminal organizations, originate essentially from -or are also active in- countries other than the Netherlands, but their activities have reached the Netherlands to such a degree that both terrorism as well as organized crime constitute a serious threat to our national legal order and the lives of Dutch citizens. Conversely, the conduct of multinational corporations can deeply impact the lives of people elsewhere, and may damage, for example, the environment or contribute to human rights violations.

The central research question is the following: 
What is the impact of certain non-State actors (namely organized crime and terrorist groups, and multinational corporations) on security and the legal protection of individuals and is the globalized legal order currently adequate to respond to it and to ensure effective legal protection?

Projects theme 2

Research team