Research

One of the cornerstones of the Center’s activities is to promote and make visible research on Chinese law and legal culture, especially that of its member institutions. The Center supports Chinese law-related research projects by coordinating and organizing project-related activities, including co-hosting academic research seminars and networking events in cooperation with its members.

The Center also hosts academic events on Chinese law. The events provide an opportunity for researchers to gain new insights, engage in new projects and cooperation and expand their toolkits for China law research. Events organized by the Center have attracted an international audience, as well as scholars and keynote speakers from China, Europe and the US.

The Academy of Finland has significantly promoted collaboration between Finnish and Chinese researchers in the field of law, particularly in comparative law. Altogether, the Academy had funded six research projects on Chinese law organized by member institutions. In May 2012, the Academy decided to fund the first research project entitled “ILO Core Labour Standards Implementation in China: Legal Architecture and Cultural Logic” led by Professor Ulla Liukkunen, University of Helsinki.

In 2012, the Academy of Finland together with CASS Law and Chinese universities decided to jointly fund Sino-Finnish research in comparative law with a total of some two million euros. The aim was to promote high-level, long-term and systematic Sino-Finnish research collaboration in comparative law. Another aim of this call was to establish and strengthen research networks between Finland and China. In December 2012, the funding was granted to six projects:

  • Arctic Law and Governance in People’s Republic of China and in Finland led by Professor Timo Koivurova (University of Lapland)
  • Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Efficiency Legislation, Finland/EU–China led by Professor Ari Ekroos  (Aalto University / University of Helsinki)
  • Employee Participation and Collective Bargaining in the Era of Globalisation – Nordic and Chinese Perspectives” led by Professor Ulla Liukkunen (University of Helsinki)
  • “Gendered Choices in Structures of Law and Gender” led by Professor Johanna Niemi (University of Turku)
  • ILO Core Labour Standards Implementation in China: Legal Architecture and Cultural Logic” led by Professor Ulla Liukkunen (University of Helsinki). This project was funded by the Academy of Finland already prior the joint call for application.
  • “Legal Transplant for Innovation and Creativity: A Sino-Finnish Comparative Study on the Governance of Intellectual Property (TranSIP)” is a consortium of two projects: one led by Researcher Na Ri Lee (consortium leader, Hanken School of Economics) and the other by Professor Niklas Bruun (Hanken School of Economics / University of Helsinki).

Alongside with the projects funded by the Academy of Finland, the member institutions count among their research staff several teams and doctoral candidates conducting research concerning Chinese law and legal culture.