Call for Papers: JAR-Association Conference 2027, Justice Systems at a Crossroads: Resilience, Transformation and Democratic Safeguards, 8–10 June 2027
- VENUE -Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Puerta de Toledo Campus, Spain
- SUBMISSION DEADLINE- 31 December 2026
- NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE- 28 February 2027
Judicial systems worldwide are navigating a period of deep transition. Political challenges to judicial independence, rapid technological evolution, public mistrust, and shifting socio-economic conditions all place unprecedented pressure on courts, prosecutors’ offices, and justice services. At the same time, innovative reforms, digital tools, new organisational models, and evidencebased policy approaches offer potential pathways toward more resilient, effective, and accessible justice.
The 2027 edition of the JAR-Association Conference, held in association with the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Instituto de Justicia y Litigación Alonso Martínez) and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, invites scholars, practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and multidisciplinary researchers to explore how judicial systems can strengthen their democratic functions while adapting to new challenges. Building on themes from the 2023 and 2025 conferences, this edition focuses on judicial resilience, institutional transformation, and the future of justice in democratic societies.
Proposals offering new perspectives, reporting on ongoing or completed empirical research, or presenting innovative methodologies are especially welcome. Interdisciplinary and comparative work is strongly encouraged.
SUGGESTED TOPICS
Judicial Resilience, Social and Economic Dynamics, Democratic Safeguards
• Judicial trust, transparency, and public perceptions
• Courts, media, and democratic discourse
• Behavioural insights and decision-making in courts
• Economic stressors and justice system performance
• The impact of challenges to judicial independence
Institutional Innovation & Reform
• Implementing reforms: successes, failures, lessons learned
• Strategic justice reform and medium- to long-term evaluation
• Resource management, staffing, training, and organisational redesign
• Innovations in case management, caseload and workload measurement — including longitudinal impacts and outcomes
• Digitisation and AI
• Comparative perspectives on judicial governance
Access to Justice & User Experience
• Vulnerable users, victims, and litigants in modern justice systems
• Barriers to access: cultural, procedural, financial, digital
• User-centred reform and service-design approaches
SUBMISSION & SELECTION PROCESS
• Deadline for submissions: 31 December 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 28 February 2027
• Submission email: organiser@jar-association.eu
All presented papers will be considered for inclusion in a proposed special issue of the International Journal for Court Administration (IJCA), following peer review.
CONFERENCE FORMAT & PRACTICAL INFORMATION
• The Conference will take place over three days.
• A conference fee will apply.
The organising committee aims to keep this as low as possible, in line with prior JAR-Association Conferences.
The JAR Conference held in 2025 had a Conference fee of 100 Euro for JAR-A members and 130 Euro for non-members.
For more details, refer here
