School of Law

Dr Alex Schwartz

  • Senior Lecturer in Public Law (Law)

Biography

Dr. Schwartz joined the School of Law in December 2021. Previously, he was an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong and a Lecturer in Law at Queen’s University Belfast.  

Dr. Schwartz’s research incorporates a variety of approaches (including empirical and computational methods) to address questions in the fields of constitutional law, constitutional design, and judicial politics. His scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals—such as Law & Society Review, Law & Social Inquiry, and Oxford Journal of Legal Studies—and he is co-editor of Rights in Divided Societies (Hart, 2012). His research has been supported by grants from the British Academy, the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships programme. On matters of constitutional design, Dr. Schwartz has provided expert evidence/advice to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Government of the United Kingdom, and the Max Planck Foundation for Peacebuilding and the Rule of Law. 

Dr. Schwartz is a qualified (non-practicing) Barrister and Solicitor with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. He holds a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast, an LLM from the University of Toronto, an LLB from Dalhousie University, and a BA(hons) in Philosophy from Memorial University.  

Research interests

Dr. Schwartz’s research interests are primarily in comparative constitutional law, with a particular focus on the empirical study of courts (judicial independence and judicial behaviour). Currently, he is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Constitutional Law in Asia and author of a book (forthcoming with CUP) on why and how populist governments threaten judicial independence. Dr. Schwartz also has a general interest in the advancement of computational legal studies and the application of economic analysis to the study of law. 

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2022 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
Number of items: 25.

2026

Schwartz, Alex (2026) Doctrinal scholarship? In: Law, David and Langford, Malcolm (eds.) Research Methods in Constitutional Law: A Handbook. Edward Elgar Publishing. (In Press)

2025

Schwartz, Alex (2025) Court curbing in the United Kingdom. American Journal of Comparative Law, (doi: 10.1093/ajcl/avaf033) (Early Online Publication)

2024

Schwartz, Alex and Lee, H.P. (2024) Judicial Independence. In: Law, David S., Lau, Holning and Schwartz, Alex (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Constitutional Law in Asia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198825463 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198825463.013.32) (In Press)

Schwartz, Alex (2024) Threats to judicial independence. In: Epstein, Lee, Grendstad, Gunnar, Šadl, Urška and Weinshall, Keren (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Judicial Behaviour. Series: Oxford handbooks. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192898579 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192898579.013.47)

2022

Schwartz, Alex (2022) The changing concepts of the constitution. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 42(3), pp. 758-786. (doi: 10.1093/ojls/gqac001)

2020

Schwartz, Alex (2020) Agent-based modeling for legal studies. In: Whalen, Ryan (ed.) Computational Legal Studies. Edward Elgar, pp. 312-327. ISBN 9781788977449 (doi: 10.4337/9781788977456.00019)

Dzehtsiarou, Kanstantsin and Schwartz, Alex (2020) Electing team Strasbourg: professional diversity on the European Court of Human Rights and why it matters. German Law Journal, 21(4), pp. 621-643. (doi: 10.1017/glj.2020.36)

2019

Schwartz, Alex (2019) International judges on constitutional courts: cautionary evidence from post-conflict Bosnia. Law and Social Inquiry, 44(1), pp. 1-30. (doi: 10.1111/lsi.12335)

Schwartz, Alex (2019) An agent-based model of judicial power. Journal of Law, 9(1), pp. 21-53.

2018

Schwartz, Alex (2018) Judicial power and consociational federation: the Bosnian example. Federal Law Review, 46(4), pp. 631-644. (doi: 10.1177/0067205X1804600409)

2016

Schwartz, Alex and Murchison, Melanie Janelle (2016) Judicial impartiality and independence in divided societies: an empirical analysis of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Law and Society Review, 50(4), pp. 821-855. (doi: 10.1111/lasr.12237)

McCrudden, Christopher, McGarry, John, O’Leary, Brendan and Schwartz, Alex (2016) Why Northern Ireland’s institutions need stability. Government and Opposition, 51(1), pp. 30-58. (doi: 10.1017/gov.2014.28)

2015

McEvoy, Kieran and Schwartz, Alex (2015) Judges, conflict, and the past. Journal of Law and Society, 42(4), pp. 528-555. (doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2015.00724.x)

McEvoy, Kieran and Schwartz, Alex (2015) Judging and conflict: audience, performance and the judicial past. In: McAlinden, Anne-Marie and Dwyer, Clare (eds.) Criminal Justice in Transition : The Northern Ireland Context. Hart Publishing, pp. 157-184. ISBN 9781849465779 (doi: 10.5040/9781474202367.ch-008)

Schwartz, Alex (2015) Authority, nationality, and minorities. Ratio Juris, 28(3), pp. 354-371. (doi: 10.1111/raju.12087)

Gagnon, Alain-G. and Schwartz, Alex (2015) Canadian federalism since patriation: advancing a federalism of empowerment. In: McAlinden, Anne-Marie and Dwyer, Clare (eds.) Patriation and Its Consequences: Constitution Making in Canada. UBC Press, pp. 244-266. ISBN 9780774828611

2014

Schwartz, Alex (2014) Petitions of Concern. Other. Northern Ireland Assembly Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series.

2013

McCrudden, Christopher, McGarry, John, O’Leary, Brendan and Schwartz, Alex (2013) Memorandum for the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Review Committee, Review of D’Hondt, Community Designation and Provisions for Opposition. Other. Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Review Committee.

2012

Schwartz, Alex (2012) Symbolic equality: law and national symbols in Northern Ireland. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 19(4), pp. 339-358. (doi: 10.1163/15718115-01904001)

Harvey, Colin and Schwartz, Alex (Eds.) (2012) Rights in Divided Societies. Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781849461009

Schwartz, Alex and Harvey, Colin (2012) Judicial empowerment in divided societies: the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights process in comparative perspective. In: Harvey, Colin and Schwartz, Alex (eds.) Rights in Divided Societies. Hart Publishing, pp. 123-148. ISBN 9781849461009 (doi: 10.5040/9781472566126.ch-006)

2011

Schwartz, Alex (2011) Patriotism or integrity? Constitutional community in divided societies. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 31(3), pp. 503-526. (doi: 10.1093/ojls/gqr010)

2010

Schwartz, Alex (2010) How unfair is cross-community consent? Voting power in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 61(4), pp. 349-362. (doi: 10.53386/nilq.v61i4.459)

2009

Harvey, Colin and Schwartz, Alex (2009) Designing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 60(2), pp. 181-199. (doi: 10.53386/nilq.v60i2.484)

2008

Schwartz, Alex (2008) The rule of unwritten law: a cautious critique of Charkaoui v. Canada. Review of Constitutional Studies, 13(2), pp. 179-207.

This list was generated on Tue Mar 17 20:45:17 2026 GMT.
Jump to: Articles | Book Sections | Edited Books | Research Reports or Papers
Number of items: 25.

Articles

Schwartz, Alex (2025) Court curbing in the United Kingdom. American Journal of Comparative Law, (doi: 10.1093/ajcl/avaf033) (Early Online Publication)

Schwartz, Alex (2022) The changing concepts of the constitution. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 42(3), pp. 758-786. (doi: 10.1093/ojls/gqac001)

Dzehtsiarou, Kanstantsin and Schwartz, Alex (2020) Electing team Strasbourg: professional diversity on the European Court of Human Rights and why it matters. German Law Journal, 21(4), pp. 621-643. (doi: 10.1017/glj.2020.36)

Schwartz, Alex (2019) International judges on constitutional courts: cautionary evidence from post-conflict Bosnia. Law and Social Inquiry, 44(1), pp. 1-30. (doi: 10.1111/lsi.12335)

Schwartz, Alex (2019) An agent-based model of judicial power. Journal of Law, 9(1), pp. 21-53.

Schwartz, Alex (2018) Judicial power and consociational federation: the Bosnian example. Federal Law Review, 46(4), pp. 631-644. (doi: 10.1177/0067205X1804600409)

Schwartz, Alex and Murchison, Melanie Janelle (2016) Judicial impartiality and independence in divided societies: an empirical analysis of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Law and Society Review, 50(4), pp. 821-855. (doi: 10.1111/lasr.12237)

McCrudden, Christopher, McGarry, John, O’Leary, Brendan and Schwartz, Alex (2016) Why Northern Ireland’s institutions need stability. Government and Opposition, 51(1), pp. 30-58. (doi: 10.1017/gov.2014.28)

McEvoy, Kieran and Schwartz, Alex (2015) Judges, conflict, and the past. Journal of Law and Society, 42(4), pp. 528-555. (doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6478.2015.00724.x)

Schwartz, Alex (2015) Authority, nationality, and minorities. Ratio Juris, 28(3), pp. 354-371. (doi: 10.1111/raju.12087)

Schwartz, Alex (2012) Symbolic equality: law and national symbols in Northern Ireland. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 19(4), pp. 339-358. (doi: 10.1163/15718115-01904001)

Schwartz, Alex (2011) Patriotism or integrity? Constitutional community in divided societies. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 31(3), pp. 503-526. (doi: 10.1093/ojls/gqr010)

Schwartz, Alex (2010) How unfair is cross-community consent? Voting power in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 61(4), pp. 349-362. (doi: 10.53386/nilq.v61i4.459)

Harvey, Colin and Schwartz, Alex (2009) Designing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 60(2), pp. 181-199. (doi: 10.53386/nilq.v60i2.484)

Schwartz, Alex (2008) The rule of unwritten law: a cautious critique of Charkaoui v. Canada. Review of Constitutional Studies, 13(2), pp. 179-207.

Book Sections

Schwartz, Alex (2026) Doctrinal scholarship? In: Law, David and Langford, Malcolm (eds.) Research Methods in Constitutional Law: A Handbook. Edward Elgar Publishing. (In Press)

Schwartz, Alex and Lee, H.P. (2024) Judicial Independence. In: Law, David S., Lau, Holning and Schwartz, Alex (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Constitutional Law in Asia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198825463 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198825463.013.32) (In Press)

Schwartz, Alex (2024) Threats to judicial independence. In: Epstein, Lee, Grendstad, Gunnar, Šadl, Urška and Weinshall, Keren (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Judicial Behaviour. Series: Oxford handbooks. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192898579 (doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192898579.013.47)

Schwartz, Alex (2020) Agent-based modeling for legal studies. In: Whalen, Ryan (ed.) Computational Legal Studies. Edward Elgar, pp. 312-327. ISBN 9781788977449 (doi: 10.4337/9781788977456.00019)

McEvoy, Kieran and Schwartz, Alex (2015) Judging and conflict: audience, performance and the judicial past. In: McAlinden, Anne-Marie and Dwyer, Clare (eds.) Criminal Justice in Transition : The Northern Ireland Context. Hart Publishing, pp. 157-184. ISBN 9781849465779 (doi: 10.5040/9781474202367.ch-008)

Gagnon, Alain-G. and Schwartz, Alex (2015) Canadian federalism since patriation: advancing a federalism of empowerment. In: McAlinden, Anne-Marie and Dwyer, Clare (eds.) Patriation and Its Consequences: Constitution Making in Canada. UBC Press, pp. 244-266. ISBN 9780774828611

Schwartz, Alex and Harvey, Colin (2012) Judicial empowerment in divided societies: the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights process in comparative perspective. In: Harvey, Colin and Schwartz, Alex (eds.) Rights in Divided Societies. Hart Publishing, pp. 123-148. ISBN 9781849461009 (doi: 10.5040/9781472566126.ch-006)

Edited Books

Harvey, Colin and Schwartz, Alex (Eds.) (2012) Rights in Divided Societies. Hart Publishing. ISBN 9781849461009

Research Reports or Papers

Schwartz, Alex (2014) Petitions of Concern. Other. Northern Ireland Assembly Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series.

McCrudden, Christopher, McGarry, John, O’Leary, Brendan and Schwartz, Alex (2013) Memorandum for the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Review Committee, Review of D’Hondt, Community Designation and Provisions for Opposition. Other. Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive Review Committee.

This list was generated on Tue Mar 17 20:45:17 2026 GMT.

Grants

Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, General Research Fund, (HKD $685,320), 2019-2021  

British Academy-Leverhulme Grant, (£7,258), 2014-2015 

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, ($140,000 Canadian Dollars), June 2011-May 2013

Supervision

Dr. Schwartz welcomes PhD proposals from prospective students who can demonstrate the potential to make an original and significant contribution to public law scholarship.  

Teaching

Courts and Judicial Power (LAW4176)

Constitutional Law

Law & Government 


Portrait of a man in close-up

Dr Alex Schwartz on Twitter