Empirical Legal Studies in China: Current Status, Emerging Trends and Indications for Legal Education

This study aims to fill the knowledge gap about the emerging Chinese empirical legal scholarship and its potential for the improvement of legal education. We analysed empirical legal studies (ELS) published in 24 major Chinese legal journals between 2013 and 2020. The content analysis of 456 articles established the overall attitude towards ELS, fields of law that deploy empirical methods, commonly used methods and tools for statistical analysis, and why scholars use ELS. This study indicates that although ELS has become a trend in legal scholarship, ELS has not received enough attention in Chinese legal academy. While new interdisciplinary programmes that combine both law and data science are underway in a few leading law schools, the use of ELS by Chinese legal scholars remain low. Law schools in China can address the issue by developing training programmes to introduce the legal community to this growing field.