Administrative Law & Governance Colloquium 2024

The theme for next year’s Administrative Law & Governance Colloquium is “Executive Power”:

Executive power has been the site of passionate debate in liberal democracies for many centuries. In recent decades, authority has concentrated in the hands of presidents and prime ministers, with voters increasingly looking to these office holders to give effect to their policy preferences. Questions about the scope of authority and accountability of presidents, prime ministers and other executive officers have therefore become even more pressing. What powers does and should the executive have; against which standards should these office holders be judged, and who should do the judging? In this year’s series, we will examine the role of constitutional text and tradition, other governmental institutions and civil society in granting and constraining executive authority, setting standards and holding the executive to account. 

As ever, I will be joined by leading experts from around the world to discuss their recent, cutting-edge research on matters related to this general theme. Invitees include Jason Allen (Singapore Management University), Robert Craig (Bristol Law School), Philippe Lagassé (Carleton), and Peter Shane (Moritz College of Law).

Colloquium sessions will be held via Zoom on Wednesdays in February, March and April 2024. Attendance is open to all.

The Colloquium’s Directed Research Project can be taken for 3 credits by uOttawa JD students. Students are expected to attend the series of seminars (save where written permission has been obtained in advance) and to produce a paper of 7,500 to 10,000 words based on the Colloquium theme, in English or in French.

As a project-based research and writing course, students’ work will be independent and self-directed. In collaboration with the speakers, Professor Daly will provide a detailed reading list in advance of each seminar. A general reading list will also be made available. Professor Daly will meet with enrolled students twice, on an individual basis: once at the beginning of the Winter Term to discuss the student’s proposed project and once in the middle of the Winter Term to discuss the student’s progress. These individualized supervisions, along with knowledge acquired from prior study, the general reading list, the detailed reading lists and seminar attendance, will equip students to produce their papers.

Registration in this course is by application. Students interested in enrolling should email Professor Daly (paul.daly@uottawa.ca) with (a) a brief statement of a proposed project; (b) a CV; and (c) an up-to-date law school transcript (official or unofficial). The deadline is January 31, 2024.

This content has been updated on August 31, 2023 at 10:21.