Restarting Law and Development as a Model Sub-Discipline

Structuring Research Questions, Approaches and Setting Standards for Theoretical and Applied Disciplines and Sub-Disciplines

Abstract

The field of “Law and Development” finds itself with competing disciplinary and institutional agendas, overlapping and unclear definitions, borders, and scope, with no real rules of academic integrity or legitimacy to follow or to which it is held accountable. This article builds and applies an indicator with model standards for the structuring of academic disciplines to evaluate the legitimacy and integrity of this sub-discipline as an example for others. It then offers a model agenda for the basic social science questions to research and the technological applications that would help the sub-discipline to develop in a way that more appropriately fits a scholarly sub-discipline with applications of public benefit. The model approach offered in this article can be applied to emerging fields and sub-fields to identify those that are being shaped by politics rather than scholarly criteria; distinguishing them from legitimate fields and helping to strengthen their structures.