The members of the Law School and the institutes are actively involved in research in a wide range of areas of law. In line with HSG principles, this research is usually interdisciplinary, internationally focused and has a practical relevance.
Details on individual research areas and interests may be obtained from the Alexandria research platform and the relevant websites of institutes or chairs. Here are a few examples of current research clusters of the Law School.
This research cluster is focused on investigating general and specific applications of economic thought patterns to law, with particular emphasis on making economic analysis useful for the understanding of international (economic) law.
Numerous research projects undertaken by various members of the Law School focus on business law. These include, amongst other things, an examination of international developments in the field of contract law, an investigation into corporate governance as a key issue in business law, and a critical analysis of regulatory developments in the Swiss and international financial markets.
Contact: Prof. Bertschinger, Prof. Wildhaber, Prof. Reiser, Prof. Grünewald, Prof. Buiten, Prof. Valente
Constitutional law research at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) is dedicated both to an overall view of constitutional thinking (i.e. in the St.Gallen Commentary on Constitutional Law) and to the more in-depth discussion of individual aspects such as the constitutional articles on education or competition policy as reflected in constitutional law.
Contact: Prof. Ehrenzeller (Constitutional Articles on Education), Prof. Hettich (Competition Policies).
The focus of legal methodology consists, for example, in research projects on the possibilities and conditions for interdisciplinary approaches in law, and in fundamental research into legal history.
Contact: Prof. Gschwend
The Procedural Law Research Cluster brings together academics who focus on the fundamentals and current developments in criminal procedure law, public and administrative justice, and national and international civil procedure law. The focus is on the legal analysis of procedural principles and safeguards, the further development of rule-of-law standards in both national and cross-border contexts, the examination of the interfaces between the various procedural systems, and their application in practice.
Contact: Prof. Müller-Chen, Prof. Schindler, Prof. Markwalder, Prof. Simmler, Prof. Erk
The Centers of Excellence serve as academic hubs, research platforms, and professional networks both within and outside the University of St.Gallen. They strengthen both the international integration of the respective fields within the research community and their regional presence in the public sphere and the media.
Our Law School professors manage or are involved with three institutes of the University of St.Gallen (HSG). The institute make a significant contribution to the quality of education, research and executive education provided by the University.
The HSG culture is strongly characterised by its institutes and research units. The institutes contribute significantly to HSG's strong reputation in education, research and executive education.
Institutes and research units are integrally linked to the HSG for financial, conceptual and above all for staffing purposes, yet operate as largely autonomous units that are run as businesses. They are particularly active in the areas of research, executive education and services.
The Law School has the following institutes, centers of excellence, and research centers: FR-HSG, SK-HSG and Law & Tech Lab