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Alberto ALEMANNO

Professor

Law & Tax

Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law
 Profile picture

Biography

Alberto Alemanno is Jean Monnet Professor in European Union Law and one of the leading voices on the democratization of the European Union. His research has been centered on how the law may be used to improve people’s lives, in particular through the adoption of power-shifting reforms countering social, economic, and political inequalities within European societies and beyond. He has written extensively on risk regulation, public health, consumer rights, food policy as democratic innovation, participatory and deliberative democracy.

Due to his commitment to bridge the gap between academic research and policy action, Alberto was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2015, and Ashoka fellow in 2019 and Social Innovation Thought Leader by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in 2022. 

In addition to his academic writings in law, and public policy, Alberto is a regular contributor to Le MondeThe GuardianBloombergPolitico EuropeLe Grand Continent and a frequent commentator on Euronews, France24, Al-Jazeera, and TV5Monde. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Economist, Science and Nature among others.

He’s the author of more than forty scientific articles and several academic books such as 'Nudge and the Law – A European Perspective' and the more accessible Lobbying for Change: Find Your Voice to Create a Better Society', which provides a timely analysis and guide to levelling the democratic playing field by empowering ordinary citizens to speak up and inform policy decisions at local, national and international level.

Alberto is also permanent visiting professor at the University of Tokyo School of Public Policy, the College of Europe, in Bruges and a scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law as well as fellow at The Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation at Rutgers University. 

Alberto has pioneered innovative forms of academic and civic engagement and activism in the EU transnational space via his civic start up The Good Lobby. Its mission is to equalize access to power by strengthening the advocacy capacity of civil society and making corporate political influence more accountable and sustainable. Alberto has been involved in dozens of campaigns, ranging from the first European Citizen Initiative putting an end to international roaming to the adoption of plain-packaging of tobacco products, from the drafting of the EU whistleblower directive to a decade-old campaign for EU transnational lists and the recently launched ‘Voters without Borders’ asking for full political rights for EU citizens regardless of where they live across the continent.

Professor Alemanno has worked extensively with policymakers, funders, advocacy groups as well as progressive companies, in developing strategies and novel approaches to questions of democracy, political inequality, and corporate political behaviour. He regularly provides advice to international organizations, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the European Commission, the European Parliament, the World Health Organization, dozens of non-governmental organizations as well as states.

He sits on the board of several civil society organisations, such as European Alternatives, VoxEurop, Friends of Europe, Access Info Europe, as well as the citizens’ campaigning movement We Move, which operates transnationally.

Alberto qualified as an attorney-at-law in New York and clerked at the Court of Justice of the European Union (2005-2009). He established and directed the EU Public Interest Law Clinic in collaboration with the New York University School of Law, where he has been Global Professor of Law (2014-2018).

He holds LL.M. from Harvard Law School and the College of Europe as well as a PhD in international economic law from Bocconi University. He is the founder as well as the editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Risk Regulation (published by Cambridge University Press), of the Revue européenne du Droit (published by Le Grand Continent), and member of the Editorial Committee of the Journal of Consumer Policy.

Alberto served as visiting professor at Georgetown University (2011-2014), the University of Amsterdam (2017), University of Tokyo (2014-2020), the LUISS University in Rome (2013) as well as at the University of St Gallen (2006-2016) and at the College of Europe in Bruges (2007-present).

 

Scientific articles

The Lobbying for Good Movement

Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2024, vol. 22, n° 1, pp 36-43,

Protecting Future People's Future: How to Operationalise Present People's Unfulfilled Promises to Future Generations

European Journal of Risk Regulation, December, 21 2023, vol. 14, n° 4, Special, pp 641-655,

Letters to the Editors: “Knowledge comes with responsibility”: Why academic ivory towerism can’t be the answer to legal scholactivism

International Journal of Constitutional Law, April 2022, vol. 20, n° 2, pp 560-561,

Unboxing the Conference on the Future of Europe and its democratic raison d’être

European Law Journal, January 2022, vol. 2020/26, n° 5-6, pp 484-508,

What’s in an experiment? : Opportunities and risks for the Conference on the Future of Europe

European University Institute, Septembre 2021, vol. STG Policy Briefs, n° 2021/16, (in coll. with J. MACKAY, N. MILANESE, K. NICOLAIDIS)

Citizen Power Europe

Revue Européenne de Droit, December 2021, vol. 3, pp 7-15, (in coll. with K. NICOLAIDIS)

Editorial : La démocratie participative dans l'Union Européenne : état et perspectives ouvertes par la conférence sur l'avenir de l'Europe

Cahiers de Droit Européen, 2021, vol. 57, n° 3, pp 647-665,

Certifying Health: The Unequal Legal Geographies of COVID-19 Certificates

European Journal of Risk Regulation, 2021, vol. 12, n° Special Is, pp 273-286, (in coll. with L. BIALASIEWICZ)

Europe’s Democracy Challenge: Citizen Participation in and Beyond Elections

German Law Journal, 2020, vol. 21, pp 35-40,

Towards a European Health Union: Time to Level Up

European Journal of Risk Regulation, December 2020, vol. 11, n° 4, pp 721-725,

Books

Citizen Participation in Democratic Europe: What's Next?

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (in coll. with James Organ)

The good lobby. Partecipazione civica per influenzare la politica dal basso

Tlon Editions

Reinventing Legal Education

Cambridge University Press (in coll. with L. KHADAR)

Lobbying for Change: Find Your Voice to Create a Better Society

Icon Books Ltd

Routledge Handbook of Risk Studies

Routledge, London (in coll. with A. BURGESS, J. ZINN)

The New Intellectual Property of Health

Beyond Plain Packaging- Edward Elgar Publishing (in coll. with E. BONADIO)

Nudging and the Law: What can EU Law learn from Behavioural Sciences?

Hart Publishing (in coll. with A. L. SIBONY)

Regulating Lifestyle Risks - The EU, Alcohol, Tobacco and Unhealthy Diets

Cambridge University Press (in coll. with A. GARDE)

Foundations of EU Food Law and Policiy - Ten Years of the European Food Safety Authority

Routledge, London (in coll. with S. GABBI)

Better business regulation in a risk society

Springer, Berlin (in coll. with F. den Butter, A. Nijsen, J. Torriti)

Chapters in edited books

Rotating Presidencies, Rotating Sponsors? Corporate Sponsorship of EU Council Presidencies since the Lisbon Treaty

Eu Council Presidencies In Times Of Crises, R. Coman, O. Costa, V. Sierens, Springer, New York

EU Citizen Participation ‘in the Union’s Democratic Life’: A Policy and Legal Analysis

The Eu Political System After The 2019 European Elections, Olivier Costa, Steven Van Hecke, Palgrave Macmillan, 23-44

Data for Good: Unlocking Privately-Held Data to the Benefit of the Many

Data Science For Social Good, C. Cattuto and M. Lapucci (Eds), Springer, 69-78

The Case for Citizen Participation in the European Union: A Theoretical Perspective on EU Participatory Democracy (June 15, 2020)

Citizen Participation In Democratic Europe: What Next For The Eu?, ECPR Press /Rowman & Littlefield

Disinformation and Propaganda–Impact on the Functioning of the Rule of Law in the EU and its Member States

Seeking Safety, Knowledge, And Security In A Troubling Environment, J. Resnik, Yale University Press, 1, 47-51

Reinventing Legal Education

Reinventing Legal Education: How Clinical Education Is Reforming The Teaching And Practice Of Law In Europe, A. Alemanno, L. Khadar, Cambridge University Press, i-ii

Nudge and the European Union

Choice Architecture In Democracies: Exploring The Legitimacy Of Nudging, C. Möllers, M. Steinbeis, et al., Hart Publishing

Impact Assessment Before Courts Evidence-Based Policymaking Meet Judicial Review

Handbook On Regulatory Impact Assessment, C. Radaelli, C. Dunlop, Edward Elgar Publishing

The Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases in the European Union

Regulating Tobacco, Alcohol And Unhealthy Foods: The Legal Issues, T. Voon, A. Mitchell, and Jonathan Liberman (Eds), Routledge, London

How Transparent Is Transparent Enough? Balancing Access to Information Against Privacy in European Judicial Selection

Selecting Europe'S Judges - A Critical Review Of The Appointment Procedures To The European Courts, M. Bobek (Ed.), Oxford University Press

Proceedings

Science and EU Risk Regulation: the Role of Expert in Decision-marking and Judicial

Proceedings of the Young Researchers' Workshops on Science & Law & Science , 2010 , Proceedings of the Young Researchers Workshops on Science & Law & Science

La Corte di Giustiza e la qualità alimentare ed agricola

Atti del Convegno Internazionale IDAIC: Agricultura e alimentazione: Principi e Regole della qualità. , 2009 , Macerata

Working papers

Scientific articles

The Lobbying for Good Movement

Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2024, vol. 22, n° 1, pp 36-43,

Protecting Future People's Future: How to Operationalise Present People's Unfulfilled Promises to Future Generations

European Journal of Risk Regulation, December, 21 2023, vol. 14, n° 4, Special, pp 641-655,

Letters to the Editors: “Knowledge comes with responsibility”: Why academic ivory towerism can’t be the answer to legal scholactivism

International Journal of Constitutional Law, April 2022, vol. 20, n° 2, pp 560-561,

Unboxing the Conference on the Future of Europe and its democratic raison d’être

European Law Journal, January 2022, vol. 2020/26, n° 5-6, pp 484-508,

Books

Citizen Participation in Democratic Europe: What's Next?

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (in coll. with James Organ)

The good lobby. Partecipazione civica per influenzare la politica dal basso

Tlon Editions

Reinventing Legal Education

Cambridge University Press (in coll. with L. KHADAR)

Lobbying for Change: Find Your Voice to Create a Better Society

Icon Books Ltd

Chapters in edited books

Rotating Presidencies, Rotating Sponsors? Corporate Sponsorship of EU Council Presidencies since the Lisbon Treaty

Eu Council Presidencies In Times Of Crises, R. Coman, O. Costa, V. Sierens, Springer, New York

EU Citizen Participation ‘in the Union’s Democratic Life’: A Policy and Legal Analysis

The Eu Political System After The 2019 European Elections, Olivier Costa, Steven Van Hecke, Palgrave Macmillan, 23-44

Data for Good: Unlocking Privately-Held Data to the Benefit of the Many

Data Science For Social Good, C. Cattuto and M. Lapucci (Eds), Springer, 69-78

The Case for Citizen Participation in the European Union: A Theoretical Perspective on EU Participatory Democracy (June 15, 2020)

Citizen Participation In Democratic Europe: What Next For The Eu?, ECPR Press /Rowman & Littlefield

Proceedings

Science and EU Risk Regulation: the Role of Expert in Decision-marking and Judicial

Proceedings of the Young Researchers' Workshops on Science & Law & Science , 2010 , Proceedings of the Young Researchers Workshops on Science & Law & Science

La Corte di Giustiza e la qualità alimentare ed agricola

Atti del Convegno Internazionale IDAIC: Agricultura e alimentazione: Principi e Regole della qualità. , 2009 , Macerata

Working papers

Education

  • International Teachers Programme, Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management - USA
  • Ph.D. in International Law Economics, Bocconi University - Italy
  • LL.M. degree, Harvard Law School, Harvard Law School - USA
  • LL.M. in European Law, Collège d'Europe - Belgium
  • Laurea in Giurisprudenza cum laude (J.D.), Università degli Studi di Torino - Italy

Academic appointments

Academic Responsibilities at HEC

  • 2020-2023 Department Head, Business Law and Taxation HEC Paris
  • 2015-2018 Department Head, Business Law and Taxation HEC Paris
  • 2015- Professor, Business Law and Taxation HEC Paris
  • 2009-2014 Associate Professor HEC Paris
  • 2011- Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law HEC Paris
  • 2009- Member of GREGHEC, the joint research laboratory CNRS-HEC Paris HEC Paris

External Academic Responsibilities

  • 2023-2024 Senior Research Fellow IWM_Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen
  • 2015-2020 Visiting professor Collège d'Europe
  • 2013-2018 Global Professor of Law NYU School of Law
  • 2015-2015 Visiting Professor Université d'Amsterdam
  • 2014- Visiting professor Tokyo University
  • 2011-2013 Visiting Professor MGIMO University
  • 2012-2012 Visiting Professor LUISS Guido Carli University

Scientific Activities

Membership in Academic or Professional Organisation

  • Member of the RIEB group on international economic relations, the Hague
  • Former elected member of the Executive Board of the Society for Risk Analysis , Europe. Former Chair of the Risk Policy Law Specialty Group of the Society for Risk Analysis
  • Member of the American Society of International Law
  • Member of the American Bar Association Law (ABA)
  • Member of the European Society of International Law (ESIL)
  • Member of the Society of Risk Analysis
  • Member of the Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (GRM) nomme par "United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)"

Editorial activities

  • Editor, Risk, Regulation Policy eJournal
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the Revue du Droit de l'Union Europeenne
  • Area Editor for Policy, Risk Analysis: an International Journal
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the European Food Feed Law Review
  • Editor-in-chief, European Journal of Risk Regulation
  • Reviewer, Journal of Common Market Studies, Regulation Governance, Public Administration, Risk Analysis, Journal of Environmental Law, European Journal of Risk Regulation, Policy Society, Revue du Droit de l'Union Europeenne, Italian Journal of Public Law
  • Reviewer for Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, MIT Press, Edward Elgar

  • Conference organisation

  • 2018-2018 Co-organizer of the seminar "Legal Systems for the 21st Century: Markets and Fairness"
  • 2015-2015 Co-organiser of the International Workshop for Young Scholars (WISH) 10th Edition
  • 2013-2013 Member, Organizing Committee, 3rd Global Conference on Transparency Research - HEC Paris
  • 2012-2012 Convener of the 2nd HEC Workshop on Regulation, Regulating Lifestyle Risks in Europe: The Case of Alcohol, Tobacco and Unhealthy Diets
  • 2010-2010 Convener of the 1st HEC Workshop on Regulation, Emergency Regulation under the Threat of a Catastrophe. A Hard Look at the Volcanic Ash Crisis.
  • 2009-2009 Co-organiser of the International Conference: New Ideas for Risk Regulation, promoted by the Society for Risk Analysis and Resources for the Future, Washington DC
  • Convener of the 1st Conference on EU law of Risk Regulation, Latest developments in EU risk regulation: Reach, Pharmaceuticals and Nanomaterials, Brussels at European Parliament
  • Intervenant au sein du coIntervenant au sein du colloque «L'Europe que nous voulons pour la santé» : L'éducation et la transmission au centre des sujets européenslloque «L'Europe que nous voulons pour la santé» : L ' éducation et la transmission au centre des sujets européens
  • Awards & honors

    • 2023 Europe's Futures Fellow
    • 2022 2022 Schwab Foundation Social Innovation Thought Leader of the Year Award at the World Economic Forum
    • 2019 Ashoka Fellow
    • 2018 Alumnus of the Year Bocconi
    • 2018 Altiero Spinelli Award
    • 2018 BMW Foundation Responsible Leader
    • 2016 International Award Sciacca in the Law category
    • 2015 Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum
    • 2014 HEC Prize for Pedagogical Innovation
    • 2014 Winner of the HEC Foundation Award for Teaching Innovation for the MOOC "Understanding Europe"
    • 2014 Outstanding Teacher Award 2014, St Gallen University
    • 2013 Prize of the European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA) Award Competition, for the best IP article "An Analysis of Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products under EU Intellectual Property Law"
    • 2012 Outstanding Teacher Award 2012, St Gallen University
    • 2011 'Chauncey Starr Young Risk Analyst Award', American Society of Risk Analysis
    • 2010 Nominee and finalist of L'Oreal Prize for Innovation in Teaching
    • 2005 Best Paper Award in Risk Science Law by the Society for Risk Analysis
    • 2001 Freshfield Prize for the Best Italian Business Law student ; European finalist