Legal Dynamics

Abstract

One of the areas barely investigated by system dynamicists is the law. Although this may seem understandable, there are intriguing dynamic aspects in legal systems and particularly in the field of the administration of justice. In order to investigate whether a legal procedure could be modelled from a system dynamics perspective and to see whether this could lead to deeper insights into the mechanisms beyond the existing method of ‘trial and error’, the Dutch asylum procedure over the period 1980-2002 was modelled. This paper describes the results of this study revealing unprecedented feedback loops implying the need for further research of the internal effects of legal procedures i.e. the need for a system dynamic approach of the law, or stated otherwise, the existence of a new approach: legal dynamics.