New doctoral students at the Faculty of Law in Uppsala

From the left: Simon Göransson, Giulia Meo, Sara Holmström, Viktor Carlsson and Sara Lundberg

Below is a short presentation of the doctoral students and their projects.

Viktor Carlsson, Jurisprudence
Supervisor: Minna Gräns

Preliminary title of thesis: The Duty to Decide and its Relation to Law

The Duty to Decide means that judges cannot escape that they must reach a decision, and do so - regardless of the complexity of a case. This legal norm’s impact on law is hard to overestimate since law without the norm would be theoretical bafflegab without bearing on reality. The project suggests that the Duty to Decide is law’s most fundamental norm and that all concepts of law circle around it. In the project fundamental concepts of law will be analyzed and put into relation to the Duty to Decide.

Simon Göransson, Civil and Criminal Procedural Law
Supervisor: Eric Bylander

Preliminary title of thesis: The evidentiary value of judgments: An examination of the value of judgments in matters of evidence at a subsequent trial

The project focuses on the value of judgments as evidence in subsequent trials. Judgments usually contain e.g. an account and assessment of the presented evidence. Do such statements have any value in a subsequent trial? For example, is it possible to rely on a criminal conviction as evidence in a subsequent proceeding concerning damages due to the same crime? If it’s possible to invoke the judgment as evidence, how is the court to assess its value?

Johan Hagelin, Fiscal Law
Supervisor: Martin Berglund

Preliminary titel of thesis: Transfer pricing in a digitalized economy

The legal framework for transfer pricing is built on some principles that were established a century ago, however, this area of international taxation may very soon be affected by a significant makeover. In July 2021, the G20 agreed to a "Global Tax Deal" in efforts to align international tax rules with today's business environment, as digitalization has changed much of the structures and business activities of multinational enterprises (MNEs). This research project raises the broader questions of how effective transfer pricing rules can be designed as well as ultimately how and why we should tax the profits of MNEs in a digitalized economy.

Sara Holmström, Public Law
Supervisor: Moa Kindström Dahlin
Assistant supervisor: Olof Wilske

Preliminary titel of thesis: The Swedish judge and the principle of Judicial independence

The debate regarding the position and role of the courts in the constitutional system has intensified in recent years. The Swedish judiciary has undergone a number of major reforms since the late 1990s; from the organization and administration of the courts to the system of training and appointment of judges. My research project examines the legal structures that affect and protect the independence of the judiciary.

Sara Lundberg, Administrative Law
Supervisor: Lotta Lerwall

Preliminary title of thesis:School absenteeism – a study of responsibilities, rights and duties

My research concerns compulsory schooling and the right to education, and more specifically the problem with children that refuse to go to school. There are indications that school refusal is a growing problem in Sweden. The project aims to investigate and clarify some of the legal boundaries and ambiguities that arise when children are absent from school, including the responsibilities of different actors for securing children’s right to education.

Giulia Meo, Constitutional Law
Supervisor: Anna Jonsson Cornell

Preliminary title of thesis: Democracy in Times of Crisis - State of Emergency or State of Transparency?

During the current pandemic several member states of the EU have, using the framework of a state of emergency, adopted provisions restricting the right of access to public documents. The main objective of my research project is to examine, through a comparative study of some EU member states, how emergency laws affect the freedom of information and right of access to public documents. The ultimate aim is to evaluate the current state of transparency in the EU, in order to assess how democracy is upheld in the event of a crisis.