Stockholm university

Public law (constitutional law and administrative law) concerns, among other things, the organisation and competence of the state and municipalities, as well as the administration and exercise of authority by state and municipal authorities. Overall, public law regulates the role of public authorities vis-à-vis citizens and their internal relations.

Schematically, all activities in our society can be divided into two different sectors: public and private. The activities of the state and the various municipalities belong to the public sphere, while the activities of individual businesses and private individuals belong to the private sector (private law). However, the boundaries between the different areas of law are not fixed, and a given legal issue may have both private and public law aspects.

Constitutional law deals mainly with the rules governing the highest organs of government (e.g. the Parliament and the Government) and their powers and interrelationships, as well as their relationship with citizens. Administrative law includes a wide range of rules concerning the authorities and their handling of matters. These include regulations on planning and construction, public order and safety, education, social services, health care and intervention, etc. This is usually referred to as special administrative law and also includes municipal law.

Related research subject

Law
Scenic summer night panorama of the Old Town (Gamla Stan) architecture in Stockholm, Sweden
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Researchers

Jane Reichel

Professor, Dekanus

Department of Law

Pernilla Leviner

Professor, prodekan

Department of Law
Pernilla Leviner

Wiweka Warnling Conradsson

Professor emerita

Department of Law
Wiweka Warnling Nerep

Andrea Sundstrand

Universitetslektor, docent

Department of Law
Andrea Sundstrand

Carl Lebeck

Universitetslektor

Department of Law

Jaan Paju

Universitetslektor, docent

Department of Law
Jaan Paju

Kavot Zillén

Universitetslektor, docent

Department of Law
Kavot Zillen

Michaela Ribbing

Universitetslektor

Department of Law
Michaela Ribbing

Åsa Örnberg

Universitetslektor

Department of Law

Research projects

Courses and programmes

Doctoral studies

If you want to further immerse yourself in legal science, and in particular within the field of public law, apply for doctoral studies at the Department of Law. We offer a dynamic environment with research of the highest class and of strong international character.

Read more about doctoral studies at SU Law

News

Departments and centres

Centres and other units

The Stockholm Centre for the Rights of the Child is a research centre at the Faculty of Law, as well as a space for collaboration between child right's oriented researchers from all over Stockholm University. The centre is also the hub of a child law-oriented network of researchers from various scientific fields, both nationally and internationally, and has a wide network of contacts with representatives of authorities and organizations with an interest in child law issues.

Ultimately, the aim is to work through research and collaboration to ensure that children's rights are respected and realised, and to contribute to better living conditions for children and young people in our society.

Stockholm Centre for the Rights of the Child

Departments

By offering a wide range of academic programmes in law bringing together researchers, teachers and students from different horizons, the Department of Law at Stockholm University creates strong and stimulating educational and research environments of the highest class.

Department of Law