The Ius Commune Research School examines the (impossibility) of harmonization or unification of the rules of law at international and European level. These are the three leading research questions:

1. Which is the role of law in politics (policy) and legal practice (implementation) of international and European integration processes and to what extent is international integration dependent upon harmonisation of law (ius commune)?
2. Which effects has international and European integration on harmonisation of law and on the specific character of national legal cultures and legal systems?
3. Which role play principles of democracy and the rule of law in foundations of a ius commune on the domain of public law and private law, in particular regarding to what extent fundamental freedoms and constitutional rights do play a role?

This research is carried out in various ways:

• By examining the foundations of the legal systems;
• By examining the role of European and international law in the mentioned integration processes;
• Through the execution of comparative legal research;
• Through the combination of legal research with other methods of research, such as (law and) economics, (law and) psychology, (law and) sociology, (law and) history, or through (qualitative or quantitative) empirical research.