Conference: Postnational Rulemaking between Authority and Autonomy

On September 20-21, 2012, the project on the Architecture of Post-National Rulemaking at the University of Amsterdam School of Law will host a conference on "Postnational Rulemaking between Authority and Autonomy." The program is here. Here's the idea:

Our project took effect after a workshop in September 2011, which has guided its development. A year later we again wish to engage with our peers. During the Conference we will explore both empirical and normative approaches to the project themes outlined below, gathering contributions from the three fields of law that compose the project (public international law, European public law and European private law).

• First, we examine the shifting sources of authority and do not take legal capacity or competence as a starting point for such authority.
• Second, we focus on the process of rulemaking and on how actors or rules gain authority in this process – leaning and building on one another. This is highly relevant where no single actor could have produced a rule with authority, but actors’ interaction does precisely that.
• Third, we examine authority and autonomy in the spaces between actors. Actors recognize or contest the authority of others. At this juncture lies a moment of autonomous will, and thus of legitimation. In short, we look at postnational rulemaking between authority and autonomy.

The conference seeks to combine conceptual, normative and empirical analysis in a mutually supportive fashion.