Latest blog articles

  • Sustainability and private law?

    The biggest challenge of the 21st century is undoubtedly the question of how to tackle the effects of a rising population, expanding industrialisation and growing environmental degradation. Apart from an ever complex world, there are externalities that are the result of the way humankind has been...

    SD goals_development_MLR
  • Dean’s blog episode 3: from Blue Monday to the Dies Natalis

    Many things happened at the Faculty in the past fortnight. Friday 26 January, we celebrated the 42nd Dies Natalis of the UM. The one thing I always like about this celebration is that it is enormously varied compared to other universities’ anniversaries.

    scriptieprijzen uitreiking FdR Maastricht  UM 2018
  • Grant for project on the regulation of social media influencers

    Sofia Ranchordas (University of Groningen) and Catalina Goanta (Maastricht University) have been awarded a Flexible Grant for Small Groups by the Independent Social Research Foundation (UK) for their project “DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Marketing: Regulating Social Media Influencers’.

    DIY_marketing
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution in legal education

    The aim of this conference is to bring together educators, researchers, professionals and students, to engage in a meaningful dialogue regarding the future of legal education, using ADR as a means to deliver significant skills to future graduates.

    ADR law event
  • The Dean’s Blog episode 1: the first two weeks

    Some colleagues asked me what it is that a dean does all day and why he cannot simply do his fair share of teaching. This question is fully justified and this blog will try to give some insight into work and life of a dean (that, by the way, I am also curious about myself).

    Dean's blog Jan Smits_Faculty of Law Maastricht
  • The future of the sharing economy

    Should Uber be considered as a company that offers transportation services or rather as a digital platform that offers information society services, operating merely to match passengers with drivers?

    Uber taxi or is a platform
  • An update on the situation in Ecognomia

    Things aren't going so well on Earth. We are suffering from systemic problems. Resource wastage, ecosystem collapse and climate change make it impossible to claim that things on Earth are working efficiently. But the Gnomes have solved all of these problems. 

    An update on the situation in Ecognomia
  • The critical impact of online reviews

    The results of empirical research show that 82% of consumers read online reviews, not to mention companies, which rely on them to assess their own performance. The utility of the review depends on a number of factors, such as the perceived identity of a reviewer, and the language used.

    hand showing a thumb up sign
  • The Volkswagen emissions scandal

    In the past two years, I have worked on the legal consequences of the Volkswagen scandal. I have focused here and here primarily on whether the corporate social responsibility policy of Volkswagen, in which the company has outlined its commitment to environmental protection, can have legal...

    Volkswagen beetle