Law - Economics

ABSTRACT

This research project addresses a crucial democratic challenge: the disconnect between the dogmatic teaching of law and the imperative to foster critical thinking among citizens. Faced with a secondary education system that is traditionally positivist, exegetical, and detached from sociopolitical realities, this thesis proposes an epistemological rupture.

To what extent does the integration of an interdisciplinary and "clinical-legal" approach in secondary education (ages 14–19) transform the perception of law—shifting it from a dogmatic set of constraints to a tool for civic empowerment—and how does this transition manifest in school environments?

The theoretical framework draws upon the works of Eugen Ehrlich, François Ost, Alain Supiot, Benjamin Frydman, and Aldo Foglia. By mobilizing the theories of "living law" (droit vivant), critical legal education (or Critical Legal Studies), law as an anthropogenic process, the sovereignty of limits, and global law, the research aims to evaluate the impact of a clinical, interdisciplinary, and realistic approach to the legal phenomenon in reshaping didactics during the upper secondary cycle.

Employing a qualitative methodology (field observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups) alongside a comparative design between Belgium and Italy, this study aims to model innovative pedagogical devices capable of restoring institutional trust and stimulating active citizenship among future democratic actors.

Main Deliverables: The collected data serve a dual objective:

1. To model institutional teacher training using evidence-based data.

2. To guide practitioners in aligning teaching tools with immediate pedagogical needs through operational protocols.

JURIPRAXIS: The conclusions are transposed onto an evolving web platform dedicated to legal didactics that articulates institutional research with teaching praxis to evaluate the relevance of learning tools. At the macro level, it models evidence-based continuing education. At the micro level, it equips practitioners with modular and inclusive protocols. This iterative framework—identification, selection, application, evaluation—allows for the rigorous alignment of pedagogical tools with teachers' requirements and learners' cognitive contingencies.