Power Distance between Judges and Witnesses and Judicial Innovations. Preliminary Innovation Ideas from Theoretical and Empirical Research

• Main Authors: Michał Dudek, Mateusz Stępień
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2020-08-01
• Series: Oñati Socio-Legal Series
• Subjects: power distance; judges; witnesses; courtroom interactions; judicial innovations; distancia de poder; jueces; testigos; interacciones en los tribunales; innovación judicial
• Online Access: http://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1151

The aim of the paper is to outline a new original approach to judicial innovations, in comparison to the previous conceptualizations or actual innovation agendas. The proposed approach flows from larger theoretical and empirical project concerned with the reconceptualized, in comparison to Geert Hofstede&rsquo;s, understanding of power distance and its application to courtroom interactions, especially between judges and witnesses. First, the paper carefully clarifies the underlying reconceptualized power distance and empirical research based on it, focused on judge-witness courtroom interactions. Subsequently, the proposed conceptualization of judicial innovations is presented, its assumptions explained and particular examples provided. Against the background of other judicial innovations studies and agendas, it is argued that this proposal is not only much more theoretically and conceptually clear, but, even more importantly, much more practical, in a sense that it significantly widens perspective on the possible advancements in judicial systems and helps in generating innovation ideas.<br /><br /> El objetivo del art&iacute;culo es trazar un abordaje original al tema de las innovaciones judiciales, en comparaci&oacute;n con conceptualizaciones anteriores o programas reales de innovaci&oacute;n. El acercamiento propuesto fluye a partir de un proyecto te&oacute;rico y emp&iacute;rico m&aacute;s amplio relacionado con la conceptualizaci&oacute;n, en comparaci&oacute;n con la concepci&oacute;n de Geert Hofstede de la distancia de poder y su aplicaci&oacute;n a la interacci&oacute;n en los tribunales, sobre todo entre jueces y testigos. Primero, el art&iacute;culo clarifica cuidadosamente la distancia de poder reconceptualizada subyacente y la investigaci&oacute;n emp&iacute;rica basada en ella y centrada en la interacci&oacute;n entre juez y testigo. En consecuencia, se presenta la conceptualizaci&oacute;n propuesta de innovaciones judiciales, con una explicaci&oacute;n de sus supuestos y con ejemplos concretos. Sobre el trasfondo de otros estudios y programas de innovaci&oacute;n judicial, se aduce que esta propuesta no s&oacute;lo es mucho m&aacute;s clara en teor&iacute;a y conceptos, sino que, lo que es m&aacute;s importante, es mucho m&aacute;s pr&aacute;ctica, por cuanto amplifica de forma significativa la perspectiva sobre posibles avances en sistemas judiciales, y ayuda a generar nuevas ideas para innovar.<br /><br /> <strong>Available from:</strong> <a href="https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1114" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1114</a>