Comparative Law in the 22nd Century

Abstract

Many social scientists do research on topics that have a predictive dimension, and the growing field of futures studies aims to rationally explore what is likely to happen in the next centuries. This short paper suggests that studying the future of the world is highly relevant for comparative law given its core interest in law from a global perspective as well as its aim to identify positive models from other countries for future legal reform. It outlines how the world of the 22nd century will have evolved and how this may shape the future of the law. Subsequently, it reflects on the impact on comparative law as a discipline. Here it is suggested that other names for legal research beyond domestic law, such as global and transnational law, may become the dominant ones. In the future, it is also likely that many themes that today belong to ‘comparative law’ will just become part of teaching and research on ‘law’ as it will be nothing special for lawyers to be concerned with foreign legal systems.

Keywords: future studies, comparative law, transnational law, law and technology

JEL Classification: E66, F02, F55, F60, K00, K40, N40, P00