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. 2023
  2. Published

    Materialities of the Performative: A Sociology of the Police Uniform

    Kretschmann, A. & Legnaro, A., 2023, In: Behemoth : a Journal on Civilization. 16, 1, p. 41-56 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Parameters, concepts and the terminology of outer space law: a review of the essential facilities served by outer space activities and the rules of interpretation for treaty law and soft law guidelines.

    Smith, L. J. & Blawat, T., 2023, 73rd International Astronautical Congress 2022: International Institute of Space Law, IISL, Colloquium of the Law of Outer space, . International Astronautical Foundation IAF, Vol. 2022. 8 p. (Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  4. Published
  5. Published

    Priyasha Saksena, Sovereignty, International Law and the Princely States of Colonial South Asia

    Tams, C. J., 2023, In: German Yearbook of International Law. 66, 1, p. 409-412 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsCritical reviewsResearch

  6. Published

    Reference wages and turnover intentions: evidence from linked employer-employee data

    Mohrenweiser, J. & Pfeifer, C., 2023, In: Applied Economics Letters. 30, 14, p. 1955-1959 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Report on the First CELIS NOW Conference ‘The Age of Open Strategic Autonomy’

    Fechter, J. & Wiesenthal, J., 2023, In: European Company Law Journal. 20, 6, p. 133-137 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsTransfer

  8. Published

    Sichere Herkunftsstaaten

    Feneberg, V., 2023, Flucht- und Flüchtlingsforschung: Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Studium . Scharrer, T., Glorius, B., Kleist, O. & Berlinghoff, M. (eds.). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft, p. 539-546 8 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  9. Published

    Special Issue of "Behemoth: A Journal on Civilisation" 16(1): Polizeiliche Performanzen von Gewalt (2023)

    Fink, F. (Editor) & Kretschmann, A. (Editor), 2023, Freiburg: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. 85 p. (Behemoth: A Journal on Civilisation; vol. 16, no. 1)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  10. Accepted/In press

    Testierfähigkeit (§ 2229 BGB)

    Boosfeld, K., 2023, (Accepted/In press) Historisch-kritischer Kommentar zum BGB. Schmoeckel, M., Zimmermann, R. & Rückert, J. (eds.). Mohr Siebeck Verlag

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesTransfer

  11. E-pub ahead of print

    The Cool Water Effect: The Geo-Climatic Source of Western Exceptionalism

    Welzel, C., Kruse, S., Brunkert, L. & Brieger, S. A., 21.07.2025, Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. 483 p. (Palgrave Studies in Maritime Politics and Security)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review

  12. Published

    The Cool Water Effect: The Origin of Humankind's Emancipatory Turn

    Welzel, C., Kruse, S., Brunkert, L. & Brieger, S. A., 2023, 390 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesBook

  13. Published

    The rise and fall of GMOs in politics: party positions and mainstream party behaviour in Western Europe

    Schwörer, J., Vidal, X. R. & Vallejo, S. M., 2023, In: Environmental Sociology. 9, 1, p. 93-106 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  14. Published

    The rubber brick’s story: A cultural sociology of policing protest in Europe

    Kretschmann, A., 2023, In: European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology. 10, 2, p. 233 - 257 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  15. Accepted/In press

    Widerruf des Testaments (§ 2253–2258 BGB),

    Boosfeld, K., 2023, (Accepted/In press) Historisch-kritischer Kommentar zum BGB. Schmoeckel, M., Zimmermann, R. & Rückert, J. (eds.). Mohr Siebeck Verlag

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesTransfer

  16. 2022
  17. Published

    Understanding european union law

    Davies, K., van Munster, M. & Düsterhöft, I., 30.12.2022, 8. Auflage ed. Taylor and Francis Inc. 227 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesBook

  18. Published

    The First 50 Contributions to the Data Observer Series - An Overview

    Wagner, J., 16.12.2022, In: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik. 242, 5-6, p. 707-712 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  19. Published

    Cartographie des inspections internationales

    Chaumette, A.-L. & Tams, C. J., 12.12.2022, International Inspections/Les inspections internationales. Chaumette, A.-L. & Tams, C. J. (eds.). Leiden: Brill | Nijhoff, p. 3-65 62 p. (Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations Series; vol. 24).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  20. Published

    International Inspections/Les inspections internationales

    Chaumette, A.-L. (Editor) & Tams, C. J. (Editor), 12.12.2022, Leiden, Niederlande: Brill | Nijhoff. 610 p. (Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations Series; vol. 24)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  21. Published

    Mapping international inspections

    Chaumette, A.-L. & Tams, C. J., 12.12.2022, International Inspections/Les inspections internationales. Chaumette, A.-L. & Tams, C. J. (eds.). Leiden: Brill | Nijhoff, p. 67-123 57 p. (Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations Series; vol. 24).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  22. Published

    EU Policymaking at a Crossroads

    Heinelt, H. (Editor) & Münch, S. (Editor), 08.12.2022, Edward Elgar Publishing. 284 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch