Evaluating the development of empirical legal research in Brazil: the case of Projeto Pensando o Direito (Project Thinking the Law)

• Main Authors: Ricardo de Lins e Horta, Vera Ribeiro de Almeida, Marcelo Chilvarquer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rede de Pesquisa Empírica em Direito 2014-07-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Empirical Legal Studies
• Subjects: Pesquisa empírica em direito; Projeto Pensando o Direito; Metodologia científica
• Online Access: http://www.reedpesquisa.org/ojs-2.4.3/index.php/reed/article/view/40

<p>Although empirical legal research in Brazil has existed since the 70’s, and the use of empirical methods has expanded sharply in the last years, the reasons underlying its relative scantiness have been matter of debate. Among these reasons would be the low level of scientific rigour, the isolation and the absence of institutional infrastructure. Assuming that the <em>Projeto Pensando o Direito</em> (Project Thinking the Law) has been providing institutional support, financing and publicity to this kind of research, this paper aims to test the hypothesis that its 56 published research reports, covering the period between 2007 and 2012, show a relative increase in the use and diversity of empirical methods akin to those used in the social sciences. An increase in the number of approaches used in researches was found, as well as an expansion in the use of questionnaires and interviews. These findings suggest that legal research in Brazil is currently going through a process of spread of multi-method strategies and of a dialogue between Law and Social Sciences.<strong></strong></p>