Our work

Human rights work undertaken by members of the Centre spans national, regional and international concerns. This work leads not only to the production of world-class publications in the form of monographs, edited collections, and peer-reviewed articles but also research outputs geared towards bringing about public policy change and contributing positively to public debate.

Centre members regularly prepare and submit responses to government consultations in the UK and beyond; contribute to newspaper, television and radio debates; engage in dissemination and debate through practitioner and public policy fora (including online), and engage with NGOs and politicians in consultation on legislative and policy change.

In this way, work produced by members of Durham Human Rights and Public Law Centre continues to help bring about real legal and public policy change in the UK and beyond.

The key aims of the Centre are:

• to create a vibrant interdisciplinary community of human rights and public law academics, practitioners, and postgraduates (PGRs);
• to provide a platform for sharing existing expertise and experience, given the size of the Centre (80+ members);
• to provide a platform to publicise staff and PGR research in public law and human rights;
• to increase the domestic and international reputation of DLS as a whole;
• to provide a forum within which academics, practitioners, and PGRs can respond to pressing human rights and public law issues and engage in civil society;
• to encourage human rights and public law research in Durham, with a focus on attracting external funding;
• to aid in enhancing the research of members of the Centre in terms of outputs, grant capture, engagement and impact in the field;
• to further the contribution of the Centre to DLS’s return for REF29;
• to provide an external-facing point of contact for groups and institutions interested in potential collaborations in the public law and human rights field.