Max Planck Lawcast

00:40:36

LAW is in the AIR: 100 Years of Private Law Research

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2026/10/05

No footnotes. No long lectures. Just pure, rapid-fire legal action.To celebrate 100 years of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg, Christopher Murphy puts six of the Institute's researchers in the hot seat to tackle fun, provocative, and quirky questions facing modern private law. From Nicolas Cage pillow cases to the largest bill in history, buckle up for a fun and informative ride. Interested in finding answers to even more private law questions? Check

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00:28:52

Who Carries the Shield? Examining Europe's New...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2026/08/07

Guest: Franca Maria Feisel (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)In this episode, Christopher Murphy is joined by Franca Maria Feisel as they examine the European Democracy Shield (EDS): a major new EU policy framework designed to safeguard the foundations of European democratic life. Unlike previous Brussels democracy initiatives that relied heavily on top-down regulations targeting governments and tech platforms, the EDS attempts to shift the front line of defence

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0:43:10

In the Flow: The Case for Process-Relational...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2026/06/19

Guest: Randall Stephenson (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law)For decades, the standard method for comparing legal systems around the world has been under fire. But what if the problem isn’t the method itself, but how we’ve been using it? On this episode of the Lawcast, Randall Stephenson argues that instead of abandoning our old tools, we need to completely rethink them. By drawing on everything from ancient philosophy to quantum physics, he reimagines law not as a

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00:47:56

Whose Rules? The Battle for the New International Order

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2026/03/24

Guest: Malcolm Jorgensen (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)Imagine you’re on a yacht in the South China Sea. Suddenly, a US destroyer and a Chinese patrol vessel approach. Both claim rights to the same stretch of water; both believe they are following international law. How can two superpowers look at the same body of water and see two different sets of rules? Join host Christopher Murphy and guest Malcolm Jorgensen as they explore the retreat of the

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00:44:08

Militant Democracy in Germany: Balancing Security and...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/11/12

Guests: Johanna Fink & Marc Bovermann (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law)How can a democracy protect and safeguard its core values without inadvertently harming them and becoming an authoritarian state? This crucial legal and political question forms the starting point for this episode of the Lawcast. Join Christopher Murphy as his guests—Marc Bovermann and Johanna Fink—discuss how Germany has adopted a so-called militant democracy to balance the right to free speech

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00:30:49

Sexual Assault Law: What Does Consent Mean?

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/09/11

Guest: Tatjana Hörnle (Director of the Department of Criminal Law, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law)Beyond a simple "yes" or "no," consent to sexual activity is a nuanced concept deeply intertwined with respect, personal boundaries and human dignity. As European nations grapple with reforming their sexual assault laws to reflect these complexities, we explore the challenges of creating effective legislation. Christopher Murphy is joined by Tatjana Hörnle, whose

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00:43:44

Bridging the Divide: Mediation and Intractable Conflicts

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/07/18

Guest: Valérie Rosoux (University of Louvain (Belgium) and Max Planck Law Fellow)Today's episode explores the complexities of mediation in some of the world's most intractable conflicts. Valérie Rosoux joins Christopher Murphy to discuss how deep-rooted animosity and intergenerational mistrust make third-party brokered mediation particularly difficult in such situations. Given these complexities, what tools can mediators utilize to bring conflicting parties to the discussion table? When is the

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00:55:22

Global Gatekeepers: Online Oversight and Internet...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/06/06

Guest: Erik Tuchtfeld (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)The Internet connects people from across the globe: it facilitates communication and has single-handedly transformed education, commerce, and entertainment. But who controls what we can say and find on the Internet? Or better put, who are the Internet’s Global Gatekeepers? In this episode, Erik Tuchtfeld and Christopher Murphy dive into the complex world of online content moderation and discuss its

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00:49:18

The Politics of Faith: Evangelicalism and Human...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/05/08

Guest: René Urueña (Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá (Colombia) and Max Planck Law Fellow).Is Latin America on the verge of a clash between human rights and the growing influence of Christian Evangelicals? This episode of the Max Planck Lawcast delves into the rise of Evangelical Christianity in Latin America. Join Christopher Murphy and renowned Colombian scholar René Urueña as they explore how this dynamic religious movement is shaping politics, culture, and social issues across the region,

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00:35:22

Democratic-Liberal Norms Under Fire: Abortion Rights...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/03/25

Guest: Janne Mende (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)This episode delves into the US Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion, a ruling that sparked intense national protest and division. Janne Mende and Christopher Murphy analyse the decision, connecting it to the concept of norm decoupling, which describes the increasing separation of liberal-democratic norms from their traditional interpretations and applications. The

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00:39:54

Kinder und Küche: Women, Marriage, and Children in...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/02/17

Guest: Lara Bucholski (Max Planck Institute for Comparative and Private International Law)During the years that it was in power, the Nazi regime made far-reaching changes to German civil law, especially family law. Marriage was understood as a societal 'service', children were deemed to be the nation's 'most precious asset', and mothers were idolized as the backbone of society. In today's Lawcast episode, Lara Bucholski details how these civil law changes serve as proof that law is rarely truly

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00:42:29

The International Regulation of Warfare: A History...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2025/01/28

Guest: Raphael Schäfer (Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law)One of international law’s greatest concerns is ensuring peace. However, sometimes this simply isn't possible. In such instances, the goal of international law then swings towards guaranteeing ‘humane’ warfare and resolving conflicts as quickly as possible. In today's Lawcast episode, Raphael Schäfer elaborates on the functioning of the laws of war based on their historical context. Although warfare has

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00:34:12

Europe’s “Independence Wars”

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/12/06

Guest: Antoine Vauchez (University of Paris 1-Sorbonne and Max Planck Law Fellow).On today’s episode Christopher Murphy is joined by Antoine Vauchez to focus on the re-invention of a central concept of contemporary European democracy, namely that of “independence”. Antoine - who heads the Max Planck Law Working Group on “Independence and Democracy in the European Union” - traces how the notion of independence has become a highly contested subject within the EU, often culminating in what he terms

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00:23:21

Between Reason and Emotion: The Syriacs'...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/11/11

Guest: Kadir Eryilmaz (Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology).In this episode, Christopher Murphy talks with Kadir Eryilmaz about his ethnographic field research on the Syriacs, a small and often overlooked community from Turkey. They explore how marginalized groups, like the Syriacs, form their understanding of the law and how their experiences shape their views on human rights. Through real-life examples, they discuss how past interactions with legal authorities shape the way people

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00:58:53

Seeds of Discord: Inside Apple’s EU Tax Controversy

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/10/02

Guest: Ruth Mason (University of Virginia School of Law and Max Planck Law Fellow).In a dramatic upset in September 2024, Apple and Ireland lost their state aid case before the European Union’s highest court. This decision—which is set to cost Apple over €13 billion—represents the most expensive state aid recovery ever. Today's guest, Ruth Mason, offers a play-by-play of the case. The episode takes listeners through the European Commission’s administrative procedure, the judgment of the General

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00:35:46

Breaking Barriers: How Intergroup Contact Can Reduce...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/09/11

Guest: Sergio Mittlaender (FGV Law School in São Paulo and Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy). In this podcast, we explore a fascinating study by Lisa Lenz and Sergio Mittlaender on the effects of intergroup contact on discrimination. Through economic experiments, the researchers investigate how structured interactions between individuals from opposing political groups—Democrats and Republicans—can reduce discrimination, further examining the conditions that are necessary for

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00:26:28

Doing It Right, Doing It Wrong - Experimental...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/07/29

Guest: Mahdi Khesali (Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods).Normative ambiguity, which stems from conflicting norms, can lead to inefficiency and self-serving behaviour. In this episode, Mahdi Khesali introduces a study that he and his colleague Yoan Hermstrüwer have conducted. Based on a "stealing game", Mahdi discusses how voting on a given moral norm affects our moral compass. The findings emphasize the importance of expressive law and how effectively-designed voting mechanisms

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00:27:14

Bürgergeld in Germany (Citizens Benefit Act): System,...

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/06/19

Guest: Rick Sallaba (Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy).It has been over a year now since the German government introduced Bürgergeld. The reforms present a major reworking of Germany’s unemployment benefits system. While Bürgergeld has done away with a number of sanctions that were deemed unfair and counterproductive, not everyone is impressed by this new approach to unemployment and serious concerns have been raised that the benefits are now too attractive (and expensive). To

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00:21:19

The Law of Unjust Enrichment in India

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/05/22

Guest: Ragini Surana (Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory).Suppose you pay someone more than you intended to by mistake. What rule of law can be used to rectify the situation? It is not the law of contract because neither of you anticipated this possibility. Nor is it a tort because neither of you have committed a wrong. In this episode Christopher Murphy talks with Ragini Surana about the law of restitution for unjust enrichment with a particular analysis of the introduction

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00:30:29

Contemporary Fathers, Care, and the Law

Max Planck Lawcast ·

2024/04/10

Guest: Alice Margaria (Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology).Defining what makes someone a father has become a complex task in contemporary Europe. What roles are attributed to genetics, marriage, gender, and active involvement in a child's life? Courts are increasingly grappling with these questions, prompted by a combination of societal shifts and scientific advancements, including assisted reproductive technologies and the growing social acceptance of LGBTQ families. In this episode,

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