USC Gould Faculty Launches New Journal Focused on Empirical Legal Studies
A new open access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the growing movement of empirical legal studies – the use of quantitative data and other information gathering methods to understand the law – has just launched under the leadership of USC Gould School of Law professors Lee Epstein and Dan Klerman. They are joined by co-editors Christoph Engel, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, and Eyal Zamir, Augusto Levi Professor of Commercial Law at Hebrew University.
The first issue of the Journal of Law and Empirical Analysis was released by Sage Publishing on May 16, 2024, featuring 10 articles written by scholars from across the globe. The journal’s diverse editorial board underscores its international focus and interdisciplinary approach.
Empirical legal studies as a scholarly pursuit has existed for decades, but the Journal of Law and Empirical Analysis stakes a unique corner in the field as the first completely open access journal of its kind.
“Being available online allows us to publish continuously,” says Klerman, Edward G. Lewis Chair in Law and History at USC Gould now conducting research at Hebrew University as a Fulbright Senior Scholar. “The first issue launches as a package of 10 articles, but after that, articles will be published as soon as they’re ready. Our editors have committed to relatively quick peer reviews to maximize the impact of the research.”
With the interdisciplinary, global nature of empirical legal studies, Epstein and Klerman strove for an international perspective among many relevant fields of scholarship.
“The authors include law professors, political scientists, economists and psychologists,” says Epstein, University Professor of Law & Political Science at USC whose research uses empirical methods to study judicial behavior. “Most journals are based in the U.S. with a smattering of international influence, and we are reaching out all over the world for contributions and readership – trying to hit a sweet spot in empirical legal studies.”
Included in the first issue are a statistical analysis of racial discrimination in police stops and an exploration on whether partisanship on three-judge panels affects how the law develops.
Though both Epstein and Klerman have either served as journal editors or served on editorial boards, neither had developed a journal from the ground up and found the experience enlightening.
“There are so many decisions to make,” says Epstein. “After we obtained a publisher and started receiving articles, there were still many issues coming up all the time.”
“It’s been an adventure,” says Klerman. “But we all get along well, and everyone brings something different to the table. We are thrilled to finally launch the first issue, and we are very proud to be publishing impactful research by leaders in the field.”