School of Public Affairs

Organisational unit: Research School

Organisation profile

Leuphana School of Public Affairs is the academic and professional home to 1.000 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students and 31 professors. 30 research associates and 17 professional staff members are working for us.

The main themes of the school are reflected in its study programs: The School of Public Affairs is currently responsible for three Majors and four Minors at Leuphana College, five Master’s programmes and five Doctoral research groups at Leuphana Graduate School as well as five continuing education Master's programmes at Leuphana Professional School. As a novelty in Germany, the Master of Law offers students the opportunity to obtain both a Master's degree in law (LL.M.) as well as the state law examination. With its emphasis on "Law in Context", this model degree programme transcends a classic-dogmatic perspective of jurisprudence by presenting the relevant contents from civil law, public law and criminal law against the backdrop of current societal challenges and transformations. 

Main research areas

Leuphana School of Public Affairs brings together the disciplines of Political Science, Law, and Economics under one roof. With 31 professorships, it establishes an innovative profile in Germany on issues of public affairs, gaining both national and international visibility and academic reputation.

The School conducts research on the major transformations of our time and thus continues to develop its existing research agenda on the future of democracy, evidence-based political decision-making and law in the context of societal transformation. In an interdisciplinary collaborative endeavour, the three subjects will, among other things, answer pressing questions about

  • the legitimacy and performance of democracies, whose integrative power is under threat, especially in light of recent upheavals in politics and society,
  • the role of the state with regard to the relationship between private-law and public-law regulation,
  • the justification of governmental intervention into market processes and their ex-post evaluation.
  1. 2025
  2. Accepted/In press

    Die systemübergreifende Rückabwicklung zu Unrecht gewährter Kindergeldzahlungen

    Lübbers, K., 15.10.2025, (Accepted/In press) Solidarität und Selbstverantwortung: Tagungsband zur Zweiten Jungen Tagung Sozialrecht 2025. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  3. E-pub ahead of print

    Externally driven integration in EU migration policy: enabling integration through indifference, undermining it through conflictive politicisation

    Zaun, N., 22.10.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of European Public Policy. 28 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published
  5. Published

    Criminal Boundaries of Being and Turkey’s Future in Europe: Penalization of Gender and “Immoral”Sexuality under Turkey’s 11th Judicial “Reform” Draft

    Erdem, B. & Müller, K., 29.10.2025, EJIL:Talk! : Oxford University Press.

    Research output: other publicationsArticles in scientific forums or blogsResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    An empty victory? Shell v. Milieudefensie et al 2024, the legal obligations of carbon majors, and the prospects for future climate litigation action

    Johannsen, B., Kotzé, L. J. & Macchi, C., 11.2025, In: Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law. 34, 1, p. 270-278 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. E-pub ahead of print

    Knowledge Cumulation in Environmental Governance Research

    Rose, M. (Editor), Newig, J. (Editor) & Leipold, S. (Editor), 11.11.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) John Wiley & Sons Inc. (Environmental Policy and Governance)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  8. Published

    Novel assessment of risk tolerance in acute healthcare settings: A questionnaire-based study investigating risk tolerance of service users and staff in ambulatory care and front-door services

    Harris, C., Lohse, J., Drouvelis, M. & Lasserson, D. S., 12.11.2025, In: BMJ Open. 15, 11, 11 p., e099032.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    The nature and utility of cultural tightness–looseness: evidence for reconsideration

    Minkov, M., Akaliyski, P., Kaasa, A. & Welzel, C., 12.2025, In: Journal of International Business Studies. 56, 9, p. 1197-1206 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Wissen(schaft)sskepsis: Aufklärung im verschwörungsideologischen Souveränismus

    Kretschmann, A. & Rowitz, L., 12.2025, In: Osterreichische Zeitschrift fur Soziologie. 50, 1, 24 p., 28.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Monopsonistic Labour Markets: Editorial

    Egger, H. & Hirsch, B., 01.12.2025, In: German Economic Review. 26, 4, p. 305-313 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsOther (editorial matter etc.)Research