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How European Big Cities and Legal Systems Trigger Urban Inequality: An Inquiry into Law and Economics

Project description

Analysing the role of legal systems in urban inequality

The urban legal systems have played a causal role in exacerbating wealth concentration. Therefore, these systems have proven inadequate in addressing growing socio-economic inequality in major cities across the EU. In this context, the EU-funded HABITAT project will explore a unique research hypothesis that argues that the leading cause of socio-economic inequality in major European cities is due to the failures of urban legal systems. HABITAT will examine the main forms of urban inequality from a law and economics perspective. It will analyse the evolution of legal orders and assess the impact of laws and judicial decisions that, by hypothesis, accelerated urban inequalities through case studies in Berlin, London, Milan and Paris.

Objective

HABITAT is based on a groundbreaking research hypothesis (GbRH): socioeconomic inequality in major European cities is largely due to a history of regulatory failures of urban legal systems. Urban legal systems have played a central causal role in concentrating wealth and, conversely, they have failed as much as the economic system in protecting vulnerable residents from growing socioeconomic inequality in major EU cities. To test this GbRH, the Principal Investigator (PI) and his team address the main forms of urban inequality from a law and economics perspective. HABITAT measures the impact of laws and judicial decisions that, by hypothesis, have triggered urban inequalities. European urban legal systems made middle and bottom deciles, underprivileged minorities, migrants, and women worse. HABITAT tests this GbRH through a case study approach, considering Berlin, London, Milan, and Paris. The PI proposes unprecedented and unique legal research, grounded on rigorous data analysis and a robust, cutting-edge methodology that combines: a) the evolutionary analysis of legal orders, with a focus on the legal determinants of the built environment; b) the comparative analysis of the common core of urban legal systems; c) a regulatory impact assessment through econometrics, statistics, and data analysis; d) an evidence- and process- based normative model, for the design of just cities from a legal and conceptual perspective, tested through scenario analysis.

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2022-STG

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Host institution

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 497 340,00
Address
VIA BALBI 5
16126 GENOVA
Italy

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Region
Nord-Ovest Liguria Genova
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 497 340,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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