Criteria for selecting reference legislation in comparative legal research

Authors

  • Paulo Gustavo Lima e Silva Rodrigues Doutorando em Ciencias Jurídico-Criminais na Universidade de Lisboa (UL). Mestre em Direito Público pela Universidade Federal de Alagoas (2018). Graduado em Direito pela Universidade Federal de Alagoas (2010). Especializado em Ciências Criminais, com aperfeiçoamento em dogmática penal pelo Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights e pela Universidade de Goettingen. Atualmente é Assessor de Magistrado no Tribunal de Justiça de Pernambuco. Professor de disciplinas na área das Ciências Penais na Graduação da Faculdade de Direito da UNINASSAU (AL), além das Pós Graduações de diversas outras instituições de ensino. http://lattes.cnpq.br/4136000039136925

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v68i3.92567

Keywords:

Comparative law. Legal research. Scientific methodology. Justification of criteria. Case selection.

Abstract

Comparative law is widely used as a research method in the legal field, yet despite its academic popularity, there is still no precise definition of clear and solid methodological parameters for its conduct. This work addresses this scenario, starting from the premise that comparative research must answer three fundamental questions: Why compare? What to compare? How to compare? The focus is on defining coherent methodological criteria to answer the second question, namely, under what conditions the choice of foreign legislation can be justified. It is concluded that this choice is directly related to the research hypothesis established by the researcher. The study highlights the main purposes of comparative law, ranging from simply examining foreign laws to improving internal institutes by analogy, developing conceptual rigidity, unifying systems, and constructing theories by causal inference. Based on these purposes, criteria are presented for selecting comparative references, such as maximum similarity, maximum difference, representative case, and most difficult case. The identification and analysis of these criteria aim to promote methodological evolution in the use of this research technique, increasing the scientific rigor of the researcher’s claims.

Author Biography

Paulo Gustavo Lima e Silva Rodrigues, Doutorando em Ciencias Jurídico-Criminais na Universidade de Lisboa (UL). Mestre em Direito Público pela Universidade Federal de Alagoas (2018). Graduado em Direito pela Universidade Federal de Alagoas (2010). Especializado em Ciências Criminais, com aperfeiçoamento em dogmática penal pelo Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights e pela Universidade de Goettingen. Atualmente é Assessor de Magistrado no Tribunal de Justiça de Pernambuco. Professor de disciplinas na área das Ciências Penais na Graduação da Faculdade de Direito da UNINASSAU (AL), além das Pós Graduações de diversas outras instituições de ensino. http://lattes.cnpq.br/4136000039136925

Doutorando em Ciências Jurídico-Criminais na Universidade de Lisboa (PT). Mestre em Direito Público (UFAL). Professor no Centro Universitário Maurício de Nassau (AL) e Faculdade Estácio (AL).

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Published

2024-04-17

How to Cite

Rodrigues, P. G. L. e S. (2024). Criteria for selecting reference legislation in comparative legal research. Revista Da Faculdade De Direito UFPR, 68(3), 113–136. https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v68i3.92567

Issue

Vol. 68 No. 3 (2023)

Section

Artigos

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