Public lectures

Press release — 10 October 2012

Professor Kathryn Hendley from the University of Wisconsin-Madison will give two public lectures on law in Russia. The first lecture (October 15th) takes place in Tartu, while the second one (October 17th) is held in Tallinn.

WHO ARE THE LEGAL NIHILISTS IN RUSSIA?
(announcement .pdf)

on October 15th, 2012, 16.45-18.00 at the UT Faculty of Law, Näituse 20 (Tartu), room 217

The popular media, both Russian and Western, portray legal nihilism as a serious problem for Russia. Using data collected as part of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Study in 2004 and 2006, the incidence of legal nihilism will be examined. The analysis will explore who the legal nihilists are in Russia and what characteristics tend to be associated with legal nihilism. The effects of a number of factors, including age, political participation, political attitudes, the role of material and emotional well-being, are analyzed. Prof. Hendley’s recent scholarly article on this topic has been published in Post-Soviet Affairs (2012, Vol. 28/2).

The second lecture is about

WHAT IF YOU BUILD IT AND NO ONE COMES? THE INTRODUCTION OF MEDIATION TO RUSSIA

on 17 October  2012, 16.00-17.30 at the UT Faculty of Law in Tallinn, Kaarli Street 3, room 301

A law legalizing mediation went into effect in Russia in early 2011. By its terms, Russian litigants can now divert their cases from the courts to mediators. Court officials were initially hopeful that this new mechanism for alternative dispute resolution would help alleviate the pressing workload of trial judges. Yet Russians have been slow to embrace mediation. The presentation will address the reasons why mediation has been so slow to take hold, with attention to problematic provisions of the law itself as well as elements within Russian legal culture that work against the popularization of mediation.

Professor Hendley’s recent article on this topic can be found at the Social Science Research Network website

All are welcome!

Kathryn Hendley is Professor of Law and Political Science at University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an expert on the transition to the market in Russia. Prof Hendley also teaches courses on the role of law in society and the political implications of economic reform that are more broadly comparative. Her most recent research has been on the adjustment of Russian industry to the introduction of market institutions in Russia. For more information, including recent publications, see here or here.

The lectures are organized by the Centre for EU-Russia Studies (CEURUS), University of Tartu.