Dr Joseph Corkin

Joseph researches in the area of expertise and constitutionalism, particularly law-making outside classical constitutional structures (including the EU, independent regulatory agencies, private bodies and transnational public, private and hybrid networks). He draws on constitutional, political and European integration theory, but grounds that theory by applying it to specific fields, including the regulation of telecoms, energy, food and drugs.

Within the broad theme of expertise and complex policymaking, he has written on combining lay and scientific opinion when making public policy to deal with scientifically uncertain health risks; the accountability structures when using pharmaco-economics to ration public health services; and where Corporate Social Responsibility ends and public policy starts. He has a particular interest in administrative law theory and the constitutional role of the judiciary.

He has conducted research for the European Commission and led an AHRC-funded research project in collaboration with the University of Bristol, Making Europe in their Image: Communities of expertise and the shaping of transnational governance that investigated a significant trend in European integration towards networking national policymakers who then discipline one another's work softly, via peer-review, rather than through centralised institutions and hard law.

Module Leader: Legal Method

Co-Module Leader: EU Law and EU Internal Market Law

PhD supervisor