Law & Economics Courses

The financial crisis of 2008 shook up the world and was coined as the worst financial crisis since the 1930’s Great Depression. Only a year later, the European Sovereign Debt Crisis destabilized the financial market as it came out that the debts of some countries, like Greece, exceeded their GDP. Are these crises really over? Or is the next crisis just only one step away? By way of lectures, participation in workshops and writing a paper, participants get insights in these issues while formulating solutions for a more sustainable financial system.

Interested in learning about human rights? This one-week online introduction course focuses on the major features of international human rights law. It begins by examining the philosophical and political bases of human rights and then explores human rights documents and mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights at the international and regional levels. Particular attention will be paid to issues of equality and discrimination, including on grounds of sex and race. Through lectures, interactive working groups and expert panels, participants will gain an understanding of the various elements - and their interplay - involved in this field.

This course will be offered in an online setting.

New technologies are constantly testing well-established principles of financial law. Investors and other users of financial services can take advantage of new FinTech opportunities to have better services at cheaper costs, but policymakers are struggling to strike a good balance between the need to foster innovation and the necessity to protect weak market participants. How can financial law cope with technological developments on blockchain, new payment services, crypto-assets, crowdfunding, high frequency trading, and robo-advice?

Develop your professional judgment in this case study-driven course for professionals operating in a complex, global, constantly-transforming world. You will learn how to ethically resolve professional dilemmas, take into account the interests of all stakeholders, and communicate your decisions to superiors, colleagues and stakeholders. This course provides plentiful opportunities for networking with other professionals and experts in your field. 

Corporations and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) provide excellent case studies for Law & Economics. This special track deals with these two subjects. This is a very suitable course for students who are keen to appreciate an international, non-mainstream, multidisciplinary and interactive approach to Corporate Governance and M&A. In this track the effects of the Covid-19 Crisis on Corporate Governance and Mergers and Acquisitions will also be dealt with.

This track deals with the highlights of Law & Economics and Europe. In the first part, the effects of European Competition Law on the economy are discussed. In the second part of this track the effects of Financial Law on the (European) Economy and the Eurocrisis are discussed. In both weeks students are asked to formulate sustainable solutions for current issues in the domain of European Law and Economics.

This course will challenge you to understand and to critically assess the role of EU law in responding to the major challenges the EU is currently facing. It will involve discussing issues ranging from the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic to the difficulties in enforcing the rule of law in the Member States and the EU’s response to climate change. A special focus will be dedicated to the Digitalization of society and to issues of European Criminal Justice. Participants will be exposed to different teaching methods, including a negotiation exercise.

This course provides you with a challenging introduction to conflict resolution and mediation skills. The focus of the course is to familiarize you with the backgrounds of human conflict behavior and to practice skills that enable you to resolve your own conflicts and to act as a mediator in conflict between others. Important topics are your own conflict behavior, the mediation process, the skills and the attitude of the mediator.

This course deals with the effects of European Competition Law on the behavior of businesses in the European Union (EU). An effective common market within the EU requires a fair and undistorted competition. Hence the European Commission (EC) vigorously attacks cartels and abuses of power by monopolists. A recent example of a Cartel is the ‘cooperation’ between 7 seven international banks – Barclays, RBS, Citigroup, JPMorgan, and MUFG by participating in a foreign exchange spot trading cartel. In this case the European Commission imposed a total fine of € 1.07 billion in 2019.

Failing Corporate governance of financial institutions has often been mentioned as an important cause of the crisis. Consequently, having a deeper understanding how Corporate boards are formed and how they act have become a topic of increasing importance. It also is already clear that the Covid-19 crisis will have a material effect on corporate governance. Do you want to know how corporations are directed and how we can make them perform better? This course will provide you with the answers!

Many executives say they use M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) as a means to consolidate or expand the market position or increase its production efficiency. Most mergers and acquisitions, however, fail to create value, leading to the so-called ‘merger paradox’. By adopting a multidisciplinary and institutional perspective, this course aims to increase the understanding of merger determinants and effects. This course deals with the economic, legal and financial aspects of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A).